Cybersecurity experts say Canadian businesses can learn from U.S. pipeline attack

TORONTO — Cybersecurity experts say that Canadian businesses often can, and should, do more to thwart the types of attack that temporarily shut down a major U.S. gasoline pipeline.

The head of BDO Canada’s cybersecurity practice, Vivek Gupta, says hackers are more sophisticated than ever and exploiting  gaps created by the shift to remote working.

He says many companies don’t take the necessary precautions until a big attack, like the one the shut down Colonial Pipeline in the U.S. this past week, grabs their attention.

Gupta and other cybersecurity experts say a common way for hackers to penetrate security is to trick employees through emails that allow disruptive software into corporate systems. 

Hackers were able to seize control of computer systems for the Colonial Pipeline, locking access and demanding a ransom to release them. Partial service was restored manually late Monday.

Canada’s two largest pipeline companies, TC Energy and Enbridge, say they take a proactive approach to avoid cyberattacks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ENB, TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press