麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Huge ransoms paid out by some Canadian businesses amid rising cyberattacks: StatCan

(Pexels.com / Nao Triponez) (Pexels.com / Nao Triponez)
Share

Some businesses paid a ransom of more than $500,000 after a cyberattack last year, .

The report surveyed more than 12,000 businesses to investigate the impacts of cybersecurity incidents on enterprises across Canada, including how many are paying attackers after getting hit by ransomware.

In 2023, an estimated two per cent of Canadian businesses reported being hit by ransomware, which is a type of cybersecurity attack that encrypts files and comes with a payment demand to make those files available again.

Though most affected businesses didn't make a payment, 12 per cent did give money to attackers, the report says.

Most payments were relatively small 鈥 84 per cent of ransom payments were under $10,000. But the report estimates that four per cent of businesses who paid after a ransomware attack handed over more than $500,000.

Only 13 per cent of businesses who dealt with a cyberattack ended up reporting the attack to police, the survey found, though that number is up from 10 per cent in 2021. More than half of incidents that did get reported were related to stealing money or demanding ransom payments.

The cost of cyberattacks

Canadian businesses spent $1.2 billion recovering from cybersecurity incidents last year, double what was paid a couple of years earlier.

That's also a sixfold increase from 2019, when businesses dished out $200 million according to the report.

The cost of cybersecurity continues to rise, with businesses also spending $11 billion on prevention and detection in 2023, compared to $9.7 billion in 2021. Most of that was on salary related to prevention and detection of cyberattacks.

The sample size for this survey was 12,462 enterprises and is representative of the 208,537 businesses with Canadian operations and 10 or more employees, across most economic sectors, except for public administration. For more about the methodology, see .

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.

麻豆影视 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.

The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.

The investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old Walmart employee over the weekend is ongoing in Halifax.

Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.

Local Spotlight

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.

A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.

Stay Connected