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Ransomware is a growing threat to Canadian businesses, and your company could be the next target.
Imagine walking into your office tomorrow morning, turning on your computer, and discovering that you can’t access anything.
Your customer records? Locked.
Your accounting software? Unavailable.
Your important business documents? Encrypted.
Your employees? Unable to work.
And then a message appears demanding thousands of dollars to unlock your systems.
Suddenly, you’re not thinking about growing your business, serving your customers, or making your next sale. You’re wondering how you’re going to keep your doors open.
This isn’t some far-fetched scenario. It’s the reality of ransomware, and Canadian businesses of all sizes are being affected.
Here’s what every small and medium-sized business owner needs to understand: You don’t have to be a large corporation to become a target. You just have to be vulnerable.
And unfortunately, many businesses don’t realize how vulnerable they are until it’s too late.
Cybercrime Is Costing Canadian Businesses Billions
Still think your business is too small for cybercriminals to bother with?
Consider these statistics from Statistics Canada’s 2023 Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime:
- 16% of Canadian businesses experienced a cybersecurity incident in 2023.
- 13% of businesses affected by cybersecurity incidents reported experiencing ransomware attacks, up from 11% in 2021.
- $1.2 billion was spent by Canadian businesses recovering from cybersecurity incidents in 2023, double the amount spent in 2021.
- Small and medium-sized Canadian businesses each accounted for approximately $300 million in cybersecurity incident recovery costs.
That’s a staggering amount of money spent recovering from incidents that, in many cases, might have been prevented or reduced with better security practices.
And we’re only talking about reported survey results. These numbers don’t fully account for lost customers, damaged reputations, missed opportunities, or the emotional toll of trying to recover a business you’ve spent years building.
In its Ransomware Threat Outlook 2025–2027, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns that ransomware continues to evolve and that organizations of every size are at risk.
Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and smaller businesses cannot afford to assume they’ll be overlooked.
Why Would Hackers Target Your Small Business?
Many business owners assume hackers are only interested in large corporations with millions of dollars in revenue.
The reality? Cybercriminals are often looking for the easiest way in.
Small and medium-sized businesses can be attractive targets because they may lack dedicated IT staff, advanced cybersecurity tools, or the resources to monitor their systems around the clock.
Think about your own business for a moment.
When was the last time someone reviewed your network security?
Are all your computers and software updated?
Do your employees use multi-factor authentication?
Are your business backups tested regularly?
Would you even know if someone was trying to access your systems right now?
Cybercriminals look for weaknesses such as outdated software, compromised passwords, unsecured remote connections, poorly configured networks, and employees who unknowingly click malicious links.
Sometimes, all it takes is one employee opening what looks like a legitimate invoice or one compromised account without proper security protections.
One click. One stolen password. One security vulnerability. That’s potentially all it takes to bring your business to a standstill.
Your Backups Might Not Save You
“We’re fine. Everything is backed up.”
It’s something many business owners say when asked about cybersecurity.
And while regular backups are essential, they’re only one piece of the puzzle.
Modern ransomware attacks don’t always stop at encrypting files.
Cybercriminals may spend time inside your network before launching an attack. They can steal sensitive information, compromise connected systems, and attempt to destroy or encrypt your backups.
Some attackers use what’s known as double extortion. They steal your information before locking your systems, then threaten to publish it unless you pay.
That means even if you manage to restore your files, your customers’ personal information, employee records, or confidential business documents could still be in someone else’s hands.
And paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your information back or prevent it from being exposed.
That’s why businesses need more than a backup system. They need a comprehensive strategy that includes:
- Secure, regularly tested backups that are protected from attackers.
- Proactive monitoring to identify suspicious activity.
- Strong access controls and multi-factor authentication.
- Regular security updates and vulnerability management.
- A documented disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
Because finding out your backups don’t work when you’re in the middle of a ransomware attack is a little too late.
The Real Cost of a Cyberattack Isn’t Just the Ransom
Let’s say your business is attacked on a Monday morning.
Your employees can’t log in. Your accounting system is locked. Customers can’t place orders. Your team can’t access the files they need to do their jobs.
How long could your business survive like that?
A day? A week? Longer?
Now consider the financial impact.
Lost revenue: Every hour your business is offline can mean missed sales, delayed projects, and lost opportunities.
Recovery expenses: Investigating an attack, removing malicious software, rebuilding systems, and recovering information can be expensive and time-consuming.
Employee downtime: Your employees may be unable to do their jobs, but you’re still responsible for payroll and operating expenses.
Reputational damage: Customers trust you with their information. A serious data breach can damage that trust and cause customers to take their business elsewhere.
Legal and privacy obligations: Depending on the nature of the breach and the laws that apply to your organization, you may have obligations to report the incident and notify affected individuals.
Long-term disruption: Even after systems are restored, it can take time to rebuild customer confidence and return to normal operations.
Here’s the question business owners need to ask themselves:
If your business couldn’t operate for five days, what would it cost you?
Now add the cost of recovering your data, investigating the incident, and potentially notifying every customer whose information was compromised.
For some businesses, those costs could be devastating.
7 Cybersecurity Measures Every Canadian Business Should Have in Place
The good news is that you don’t need to be a large corporation with an enormous IT budget to significantly improve your cybersecurity.
But you do need a plan.
1. Multi-factor authentication
Passwords alone are no longer enough.
Multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of protection, making it significantly harder for cybercriminals to access your accounts even if they’ve stolen your password.
It should be enabled on your email, financial systems, cloud services, remote access tools, and other critical business accounts.
2. Proactive security monitoring
Wouldn’t you rather identify a potential security issue before it turns into a full-blown disaster?
Proactive monitoring helps identify unusual activity, potential security threats, and system vulnerabilities so they can be investigated before they cause serious damage.
Cybersecurity shouldn’t depend on someone noticing something is wrong after the fact.
3. Regular software updates and security patches
Outdated software can leave vulnerabilities that cybercriminals know how to exploit.
Your computers, servers, applications, operating systems, and network equipment all need regular updates and appropriate security patches.
Putting off those updates might seem harmless, but it can leave the door open for attackers.
4. Secure, tested backups
Backing up your files is important. Knowing you can successfully restore them is even more important.
Your business should have automatic backups that are securely stored and protected from unauthorized access.
Regular recovery testing helps ensure your systems and information can actually be restored when needed.
5. Employee cybersecurity awareness
Your employees are an important part of your cybersecurity defence.
Phishing emails, fraudulent invoices, fake login pages, and impersonation scams are becoming increasingly convincing.
Regular training helps employees recognize warning signs and understand what to do when something doesn’t look right.
6. Proper network and device protection
Firewalls, endpoint protection, secure remote access, and properly configured networks are essential for reducing cybersecurity risks.
Every device connected to your business network can become a potential entry point if it isn’t adequately protected.
7. A disaster recovery plan
If your business experiences a cyberattack tomorrow, who is responsible for responding?
Who contacts your IT provider? How do you communicate with employees and customers? What systems need to be restored first?
A disaster recovery plan helps your business respond quickly and systematically instead of trying to figure everything out in the middle of a crisis.
What Should You Do If Your Business Is Hit by Ransomware?
If you suspect your business has experienced a ransomware attack, acting quickly is essential.
Disconnect affected devices from your network. This can help contain the attack and reduce the risk of it spreading to other systems. Avoid making unnecessary changes that could destroy evidence.
Contact your IT or cybersecurity provider immediately. A qualified professional can help assess the situation, contain the threat, and determine the safest path to recovery.
Don’t assume paying the ransom will solve the problem. Payment doesn’t guarantee that your information will be restored or that stolen data won’t be released.
Report the incident. Canadian businesses can report ransomware incidents to local police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
Determine whether sensitive information was compromised. Depending on the circumstances and applicable privacy legislation, you may have reporting and notification obligations.
Recover your systems carefully. Before restoring your backups and reconnecting systems, ensure the threat has been identified and appropriately contained.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s Ransomware Playbook provides additional guidance on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from ransomware incidents.
Cybersecurity Isn’t Just an IT Expense. It’s Business Protection.
As business owners, we invest in so many things to keep our companies successful.
We invest in employees, marketing, equipment, technology, and customer relationships.
But how much are we investing in protecting everything we’ve built?
It’s easy to overlook cybersecurity when everything seems to be working just fine.
Your computers turn on. Your email works. Your business applications are running. Nothing appears to be wrong.
But the absence of an obvious problem doesn’t necessarily mean your systems are secure.
And cybercriminals don’t send you a warning before they attack.
The cost of prevention is often far less than the cost of dealing with a serious cybersecurity incident.
Cybersecurity should never be something you think about only after your systems have been compromised.
It needs to be part of how your business operates every day.
How Brickhost Helps Protect Your Business
At Brickhost, we understand that technology is at the heart of how your business operates.
Whether you’re a small business with a handful of employees or a growing organization with multiple locations, you depend on your systems, network, and data to keep things running.
That’s why our approach goes beyond fixing computers when something breaks.
We provide managed IT and cybersecurity services designed to help businesses reduce risks, improve reliability, and prepare for unexpected disruptions.
Our services include:
- 24/7 proactive IT monitoring: Keeping an eye on critical systems and identifying potential problems.
- Managed IT services: Ongoing maintenance, updates, technical support, and system management.
- Cybersecurity solutions: Helping protect your devices, networks, and sensitive business information.
- Data backup and disaster recovery: Developing solutions that help protect your important information and support business recovery.
- Cloud solutions and secure hosting: Providing technology infrastructure to support your business as it grows.
- IT assessments and planning: Identifying potential weaknesses and recommending practical improvements.
We believe protecting your business should be proactive, not reactive.
No security solution can eliminate every cyber threat, but having the right protections, monitoring, and recovery plans in place can significantly reduce your exposure and help limit the damage if something goes wrong.
Don’t Wait Until You’re the Next Cyberattack Victim
Here’s one final question.
If a cybercriminal gained access to your business systems tonight, how long would it take you to find out?
And more importantly, what would happen next?
Would your security measures help stop the attack? Would your backups work? Could your employees continue operating? Would you know who to call?
If you’re unsure about any of those answers, it’s time to take a closer look at your cybersecurity.
At Brickhost, we can help you understand where your business may be vulnerable and what steps you can take to better protect it.
Book a free IT assessment with Brickhost and find out how prepared your business really is.
Because the worst time to discover your cybersecurity weaknesses is after someone has already exploited them.
Contact Brickhost
Website: www.brickhost.com
Phone: 807-333-0151
Email: support@brickhost.com
