Government says investigation underway
Holders of expired and soon-to-expire Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) and applicants for the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) have been sent instructions on how to extend their status.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), however, may have sent these messages to the wrong email addresses.
On Aug. 2, the federal government announced new measures to allow these people to extend their stay in Canada. The government said it would email these workers the instructions. It also told them “Don’t reply” to the email.
Since then, however, numerous people online have received instructions for another person, reports the Toronto Star.
The error is due to a data breach, according to the IRCC in CIC News.
“As is the case for privacy breaches, an investigation into this incident is currently underway,” it said.
“We are taking precautions and have appropriate measures in place to ensure security of information. Once all affected clients have been identified, clients will be sent an email with the correct information.”
In March, the IRCC opened a new immigration stream for Ukrainians who want to come to Canada either on a temporary or permanent basis.
Cybersecurity risks
Educating employees on the risks is often “the most neglected” part of the security equation, says Theo Zafirakos, CISO of professional services at Terranova Security.
Here are some tips for implementing cyber security training, according to eFront, an enterprise learning management system company:
- Deploy data security training from day one.
- Follow a formal training approach.
- Discuss physical security.
- Repeat regularly.
- Explore common data security threats.