It’s easy to assume global cyber conflict is someone else’s problem; until your systems slow down, a vendor goes offline, or your inbox fills with emails that don’t look quite right.
Recent tensions between the U.S. and Iran have increased cyber activity from Iran-linked threat actors. While Canada may feel far removed from the physical conflict, the digital impact travels much faster and much farther.
Cyber conflict does not respect borders, and opportunistic attacks can arise during geopolitical tensions. For most Canadian organizations, the risk isn’t a direct attack, it’s what happens around them. When a major U.S. technology provider is disrupted, the impact ripples outwards, relying on connection and interdependence of MSP’s, cloud platforms, SaaS tools, and logistical systems. Just think; if one of your vendors went offline tomorrow, what breaks first?
The Attacks that Geopolitical Tensions LOVE
Geopolitical tension creates noise
While the world focuses on physical conflict, cyber threat actors are taking advantage of distraction. Most organizations will not be hit by advanced nation state malware but instead, will be targeted by phishing and credential theft.
This is where identity protection and user awareness remains critical. Enabling MFA, training employees on how to recognize suspicious messages or emails and using validated and secure channels to perform business ensures that threat actors will have a more difficult time accessing your systems. After all, attackers love unmanaged assets such as forgotten cloud apps or old VPNs, as it provides an easy way gain access to your systems and information.
The Importance of Cyber Preparedness
You hear us speaking about Cyber Preparedness a lot. You may think that cyber preparedness is about reacting faster, but in reality, it’s about not being surprised in the first place. Having a cybersecurity plan in place can help you not only react to alerts but actively anticipate and turn away threats before they become a potential problem. It’s the difference between scrambling during an incident and executing a plan you’ve already tested.
Suggestions for Canadian Leaders
So what should Canadian leaders actually be paying attention to right now?
- Make Your People Harder to Trick
Phishing and social awareness engineering activities and education are great ways to make sure your employees understand how to recognize and report incidents.
- Lock Down Identity and Access
Secure your accounts using Multi-factor Authentication and Privileged identity management to secure accounts and limit access to critical systems and sensitive data.
- Know What You Own
Inventory, apply security updates, and patch all assets, including applications, systems, cloud services, third party dependencies, public facing industrial control systems and operational technologies.
- Plan for Disruption, Not Perfection
Review your disaster recovery plans and incidence response playbooks, being sure that you test multiple scenarios including both direct attacks and indirect supply chain or partner attacks.
- Use Trusted Guidance and Report What You See
Review and apply cybersecurity best practices and advice. Be sure to report any suspected activity to CyberAlberta, or the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity depending on your location.
Remember, Cyber preparedness isn’t about reacting to every headline; it’s about making sure your organization is ready, no matter which one comes next.
If you’re unsure how current global tensions could affect your organization, or if you want to test your cybersecurity plan, we are here to help!
