After hackers launched a cyberattack on the city of Saint John, NB, another New Brunswick city has been targeted by malicious actors.
The chief information officer of Fredericton, Adam Bell, revealed that the city’s logs show a significant increase in attempts to breach its computer systems.
"What we're learning more and more about how cyber criminals work, is when they find a successful target in an industry, they tend to then start immediately targeting similar organizations," Bell said.
Bell noted that the cyberattack attempts mirror a trend that is being observed throughout the province following the Saint John cyber incident. CBC News reported that most attacks currently directed at New Brunswick’s municipalities are “phishing” in nature.
The chief information officer added that two days after Saint John was hit, the exact same cyberattack was attempted between 25 and 30 times against Fredericton’s systems.
"It does look like these cyber criminals work specific market areas," he said.
Fredericton provides cyber awareness training to city employees, Bell said, to allow them to identify suspicious emails and what to do with one. The city also simulates phishing attempts to practice its staff.
The city is currently re-evaluating its safeguards and its considering new ways to secure its systems, CBC News reported.
