Cybersecurity Issues

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Thought I would start a new thread - first entry:

Royal Military College weighs damage after cybersecurity attack

Officials are not revealing the extent and nature of the breach at the Kingston-based college, which is run by the Department of National Defence

www.theglobeandmail.com

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

And another:

Clearview AI to pull out of Canada and stop working with RCMP amid privacy investigation

The facial recognition firm is facing a joint investigation by Canadian privacy regulators into whether its technology, called “reckless” and “invasiv...

www.thestar.com

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

And another:

Clearview AI to pull out of Canada and stop working with RCMP amid privacy investigation

The facial recognition firm is facing a joint investigation by Canadian privacy regulators into whether its technology, called “reckless” and “invasiv...

www.thestar.com

AoD

I don't have an inherent problem with the strategic use of facial recognition software by police.

I have problem with its ineffective, arbitrary or capricious use.

The issue here, to me, is that there has been little to no police transparency on how this tech is being used. This leaves one wondering on the scale of its use, the effectiveness of its use, the purpose of its use, the effectiveness/accuracy of its use and the cost of its use.

Police must learn to be transparent, this applies to so many facets of their operation.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I don't have an inherent problem with the strategic use of facial recognition software by police.

I have problem with its ineffective, arbitrary or capricious use.

The issue here, to me, is that there has been little to no police transparency on how this tech is being used. This leaves one wondering on the scale of its use, the effectiveness of its use, the purpose of its use, the effectiveness/accuracy of its use and the cost of its use.

Police must learn to be transparent, this applies to so many facets of their operation.

There are two issues - one is use of this (foreign) technology by police/state security - which comes with issues around transparency but is otherwise arguably legitimate. The bigger issue to me is the collection of data - ostensibly in the public domain but was never intended for collection and usage for facial recognition purposes by an organization not answerable to our laws, and doing so with questionable motives and rendering services to other parties unknown.

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

So apparently it wasn't just the RMC

Four Canadian military schools affected by cyberattack

Defence Department will not describe attack, but an engineering dean calls it 'ransomware'

www.theglobeandmail.com

Seriously.

AoD

 

[kEiThZ]

So apparently it wasn't just the RMC

Four Canadian military schools affected by cyberattack

Defence Department will not describe attack, but an engineering dean calls it 'ransomware'

www.theglobeandmail.com

Seriously.

AoD

It was a hack of the Canadian Defence Academy. That's the parent organization of all military academics including the Staff College in Toronto. And they have a less secure academic network that is available to only them.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From the Star:

Russian hackers target Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine research, recovery efforts, cyber defence agency says

“Almost certain” Russian intelligence is behind persistent cyber attacks on COVID-19 research and response in Canada, U.S. and U.K., according to rare joint statement from cyber defence agencies.

www.thestar.com

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It was a hack of the Canadian Defence Academy. That's the parent organization of all military academics including the Staff College in Toronto. And they have a less secure academic network that is available to only them.

That's no less serious - it may not be housing top-secret materials, but it doesn't have to for it to be a risk (weak link in a chain).

AoD

 

[kEiThZ]

That's no less serious - it may not be housing top-secret materials, but it doesn't have to for it to be a risk (weak link in a chain).

AoD

It's closer to a standard university network. Yes, it's serious. But it's also not a corporate breach that gives away operational information. But it is being investigated and they will bolster security. One of the challenges with all this is flexibility and speed. The tighter the network, the slower it runs, the less remote working can be facilitated and the fewer sites we can ask. It's the reason CDA doesn't operate on the main corporate network.

 

[AlbertC]

CRA shuts down online services after thousands of accounts breached in cyberattacks

Aug 15, 2020

The Canada Revenue Agency has temporarily shut down its online services after the agency confirmed it was recently hit by two cyberattacks that compromised thousands of accounts linked to its services.

While the breaches have been contained, services connected to My Account, My Business Account and Represent a Client on the CRA website have been disabled as an additional safety measure.

The shutdown means that anyone attempting to apply for emergency COVID-19 benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, will be unable to do so until further notice.

The agency said Saturday that as of Aug. 14, about 5,500 accounts had been affected by the separate attacks.

"The CRA quickly identified the impacted accounts and disabled access to these accounts to ensure the safety and security of the taxpayer's information," CRA spokesperson Christopher Doody wrote in an email. "The CRA is continuing to analyze both incidents. Law enforcement assistance has been requested from RCMP and an investigation has been initiated."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-revenue-agency-cra-cyberattack-1.5688163