What should you do and know following a cybersecurity breach?

Following a security breach at the Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division earlier this year, some parents may be worried about how much data has been stolen.

What exactly was stolen isn't known, but could include student information along with the names and email addresses of parents.

The Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity commonly sends out information on how to strengthen your info to fight against those data breaches.

Laura Payton, a spokeswoman with the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity who spoke about general cybersecurity issues, gives some tips on setting stronger passwords.

"One way that you can take control is to make sure that you are using really strong passwords and we actually recommend passphrases. So if you pick just four random words for about 15-16 characters, that actually makes for a really secure passphrase."

She says that the average hacker who steals data is more likely to do so from institutions that can't afford a stoppage.

"These guys have no scruples. They don't care who they attack and in fact, they're gonna aim for people who are most at risk of a shutdown," said Payton, "So hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure like the energy sector, those folks cannot afford a day out of business and they hold a lot of important, sensitive information."

Investigations and criminal cases also come up short in these cases as those thieves tend to be from uncooperative foreign countries.

"A lot of these criminals are operating outside of Canada. Lots of them actually come from Russia and we have assessed that they operate with impunity," said Payton, "The Russian state doesn't care as long as they are not attacking Russian citizens with their cybercrime."

Payton recommends people update their cybersecurity to avoid being preyed on.

"It's getting really layered and complex. You might, for example, have your information taken for a breach, and then they might sell it on the dark web. That's why you want to be very careful with your passwords, make sure you have secure passwords, because if your email and username are out there, you want to do your best to lock down those accounts."

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