Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 May, 2024 11:31 AM
  • London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'

The president of London Drugs doesn't know why the company was targeted in a cyber attack that forced it to close its stores for more than week, but Clint Mahlman says hackers with sophisticated methods are "constantly probing for weaknesses" of online systems.

Mahlman said in an interview that the Richmond, B.C.-based pharmacy and retailer had been preparing for such a situation for years, and they shut down immediately after the cybersecurity breach was discovered April 28 in order to contain the threat.

Since then, Mahlman said London Drugs has been working with cybersecurity experts to "methodically go through every system" and bring them back online in a secure way.

"We won't reopen a system until we have the confidence that it is as good as we can possibly make it," he said. 

He said the company has no evidence to suggest that customer data was compromised. 

Mahlman said he has no knowledge if the breach might be connected to B.C. Premier David Eby's announcement late Wednesday that the province had detected "sophisticated cybersecurity incidents" involving government networks.

Mahlman wouldn't share "details of any interactions with the threat actors."

He said he's sorry that the company couldn't release more details in the days after the incident, but they didn't want to give the attackers any leverage.

"The cybersecurity experts deal with these people all the time, and as such, they see certain behaviours from certain threat actors," he said.

Mahlman said hackers look at media reports about the cyber attacks, assessing whether the company is aware of the extent of the breach and its ability to recover. 

"They use that information to either sustain their attack or leverage in some sort of way against the company."

London Drugs will not knowingly give hackers that leverage, Mahlman said.

"We apologize to the media and our customers that we couldn't have given more details that they want, but that's our commitment to the safety and security of our systems and our customers."

London Drugs said on Tuesday that all 79 of its stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba had reopened, and Mahlman said it was a "very big step" to shut down its systems companywide to "contain and mitigate any potential damage." 

"The level of sophistication and expertise of these international cyber threat actors is significant," Mahlman said.

In the B.C. government incident, Eby said provincial authorities were working with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other agencies to determine the extent of the problem, but there was currently no evidence that sensitive information had been compromised.

Mahlman said the investigation was ongoing with the help of cybersecurity experts from across the continent, and more work needed to be done to determine what information could have been accessed.

"We've never had to shut down all our stores before," Mahlman said. "I think the public may be shocked to know, and this is far from unique to London Drugs."

MORE National ARTICLES

Fatal stabbing arrest made: VPD

Fatal stabbing arrest made: VPD
Vancouver police say they've made an arrest related to a fatal stabbing more than five years ago. Twenty-six-year-old Abeal Abera was rushed to hospital in June 2018 with a stab wound and died a week later.

Fatal stabbing arrest made: VPD

Conservatives blast pro-carbon price economists as 'so-called experts'

Conservatives blast pro-carbon price economists as 'so-called experts'
The federal Conservatives say they won't be taking advice from "so-called experts" when it comes to carbon pricing, after more than 200 economists signed an open letter challenging Pierre Poilievre's stance. Instead, the party is pledging to listen to the "common sense of the common people."

Conservatives blast pro-carbon price economists as 'so-called experts'

Statistics Canada says population growth rate in 2023 was highest since 1957

Statistics Canada says population growth rate in 2023 was highest since 1957
Statistics Canada says the country posted its highest annual population growth rate in more than six decades last year. The agency says the population grew 3.2 per cent, its fastest pace since 1957 when it grew 3.3 per cent.

Statistics Canada says population growth rate in 2023 was highest since 1957

Child luring incident in East Vancouver

Child luring incident in East Vancouver
Vancouver police say they're investigating a disturbing child luring incident in East Vancouver on Friday. Police say they're looking for a South Asian man between 20 and 30 years old who allegedly propositioned a 13-year-old boy not far from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station around 8 in the evening of March 22nd.   

Child luring incident in East Vancouver

New affordable housing in Langley

New affordable housing in Langley
A new building with close to 100 affordable homes is now open in Langley. A statement from B-C's housing ministry says the five-storey building offers apartments of various sizes for people with low and moderate incomes.

New affordable housing in Langley

Digital Discipline: B.C. Schools Take Action to Restrict Mobile Phone Access

Digital Discipline: B.C. Schools Take Action to Restrict Mobile Phone Access
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the integration of technology in education is both inevitable and contentious. Recently, British Columbia made headlines with the announcement of an upcoming province-wide restriction on cellphone use in public schools, sparking a debate that echoes the concerns and perspectives of various stakeholders – parents, students, and teachers alike.

Digital Discipline: B.C. Schools Take Action to Restrict Mobile Phone Access