Coffee Briefings are timely deliveries of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews, and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is delivered by IT World Canada reporter Pragya Sehgal, with files from the rest of the editorial team!
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What’s new this week
Ransomware remained the standout threat in America as cybercriminals continued to target big-name victims – report
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Global cybersecurity firm Trend Micro today released a midyear security report, capturing an overview of cyberthreats for the first half of the year which revealed that the company blocked 40.9 billion email threats, malicious files, and malicious URLs for customers in the first half of 2021, a 47 per cent year-on-year increase. The company also revealed that the banking industry was disproportionately affected, experiencing a 1,318 per cent year-on-year increase in ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021. Ransomware was a major threat to global organizations, but it was not the only one. Full report can be found here.
Some of the findings specific to Canada:
- 4.61 per cent of Americas’ total ransomware detections came from Canada and 0.85 per cent of all ransomware detections globally came from Canada. Ransomware remained the standout threat in the first half of the year as cybercriminals continued to target big-name victims
- 316,937,031 email threats were blocked in Canada
- 20,221,016 malware attacks were detected in Canada
Uber Canada to offer Aeroplan credit cardholders a free Uber Pass membership
Aeroplan, a coalition loyalty program owned by Canada’s flag carrier Air Canada, has announced a partnership with Uber Canada that gives eligible Aeroplan credit cardholders a free Uber Pass membership for a period of three, six or twelve months depending on the card. This gives them access to $0 delivery fees and more on eligible food and grocery orders, ride discounts and additional perks. Aeroplan credit cardholders must activate their free membership by September 7, 2022 to enjoy these benefits.
Alberta’s ConvergentIS takes home SAP’s inaugural ‘Best Scaling’ award
Calgary, Alberta-based software company and a SAP partner ConvergentIS has announced that it has won the inaugural ‘Best Scaling’ award from the newly created SAP AppHaus Network Innovation Awards for its work with FortisAlberta to accelerate digital transformation and create a fully paperless, mobile process for warehouse distribution. FortisAlberta had previously used a labour-intensive, paper-dependent process in conjunction with end-of-life third-party technology. Its warehouse picking process has seen a 75 per cent decrease in manual effort and a 33 per cent reduction in picking errors as a result of ConvergentIS’ work to create a unified warehouse operations platform.
Twitter announces three new features
It looks like September is the month for new Twitter features. The American microblogging and social networking service platform has announced three new features since Sept. 1, 2021: one a feature that allows users to curate their followers’ list; the Communities feature which allows users to connect with people who Tweet like themselves; and a third which allows users to create edge to edge tweets for photos, videos, and GIFs.
More to explore
Election 2021: The parties on privacy, cybersecurity
How important are data privacy and cybersecurity issues to four of the federal parties hoping to be the next government? Here’s what you need to know.
Google Workspace rolls out updates to simplify hybrid work
Google last week announced updates to Google Workspace to make the switch from remote work to hybrid work simpler for users.
Many employees working from home see cybersecurity as a hindrance: Report
According to a new survey, many employees working from home – particularly those under the age of 24 – see cybersecurity as a hindrance and have tried to bypass controls, posing a threat to organizations.
IBM and Adobe team up to offer free online visual design coursework
Provided through IBM’s SkillsBuild for Students program and available as of September 1, the coursework is a free resource open to everyone, but recommended for students aged 14 to 18 years who want to supplement their high school education, or for those looking to explore STEM-related careers and earn badge certifications for academic and professional resumes.
Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time. But we have you covered. Grab a coffee and take five while you nibble on these tidbits.
ITWC Podcasts
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Apple takes a hit after Epic Games App Store ruling, Google allegedly fires employees rather than providing benefits, and Walmart clears the air about a fake cryptocurrency report.
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
The REvil ransomware gang is back, a new botnet is discovered and Formbook malware rises.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances (Hosted by Direction Informatique)