Protect Yourself Against Phishing

Almost everyone with an email or instant messaging account has become used to receiving a seemingly never-ending stream of unsolicited messages. Commonly known as spam, some of these messages are “phishing attempts” where the intended goal is to get the recipient to do something that compromises their personal information and the security of their computer systems.

Some phishing messages are quite sophisticated. Public and healthcare employees can be tricked into opening an infected attachment, clicking on a suspicious message link that downloads malware, or disclosing sensitive information to attackers on a fake web site.

When public and healthcare organizations fall prey to a successful phishing attack, it puts at direct risk the security and privacy of all records under their custody and control. The consequences of a data beach can be extensive and severe.

To help organizations protect themselves and avoid phishing attacks, we are today releasing our newest technology fact sheet, Protect Against Phishing, containing guidance on how to:

• recognize phishing messages
• protect against phishing attacks by adopting best practices
• respond to a cyberattack and limit the damage

Public institutions and healthcare organizations in Ontario should contact our office for advice and further guidance if they have been subject to a cyberattack. You can reach us at 1-800-387-0073 or @email.

Brian Beamish
Commissioner