Five months later, a lot of businesses are still running it.

We’re not going to tell you that’s automatically catastrophic. But we are going to tell you what we actually tell our clients — which is a more nuanced conversation than most of what you’ll read about this.

What “end of life” actually means

When Microsoft stops supporting an operating system, it stops patching security vulnerabilities. New ones get discovered all the time, and attackers find out about them just as fast as anyone else. The difference is that on a supported OS, there’s a fix coming. On Windows 10 right now, there isn’t.

That doesn’t mean your computers will immediately get hacked. It means the risk profile is different, and it will keep getting worse over time as more unpatched vulnerabilities pile up.

Where things actually stand with our clients

Georgy Johnson on our team has been tracking this closely. “Right now we’re down to 3 clients and a total of 16 computers still on Windows 10,” he says. “Most of those computers are still getting updates because we applied the Extended Security Updates — ESU — so they are protected.”

The ESU program is worth knowing about if you’re in a position where upgrading right now genuinely isn’t possible. Microsoft offers paid extended security updates that keep the patches flowing for a limited period while you plan and execute a proper migration. It is not a permanent fix — but it buys time without leaving machines completely exposed. If you have a managed IT provider, they should already know whether this applies to your situation.

Why most businesses haven’t upgraded yet

We talk to a lot of businesses across the Lower Mainland who are still on Windows 10, and the reason is almost never cost or complexity. It’s that they don’t fully believe the risk applies to them.

And honestly, that’s understandable. If you’ve never been through a ransomware incident, it’s genuinely hard to feel the weight of one. You can read statistics but they tend to bounce off. The mental math of “this probably won’t happen to me” feels more real than the math of “if it does happen, here’s what it costs.”

The businesses we see take security seriously are almost always ones that have been through something. A colleague got hit. Their own files got encrypted once. They lost a week of work to a breach. That kind of experience changes how you think about risk in a way that statistics don’t. So when we’re having this conversation with a skeptical prospect, we try to make it concrete rather than just citing numbers.

Georgy put it plainly: “I have not seen a security incident occur because a client was still on Windows 10 — but only time will tell.” That is the honest answer. The risk is real and it grows over time, but it hasn’t bitten every business yet. The question is whether you want to wait until it does.

The honest advice: it depends on your risk tolerance

Here’s what we actually tell businesses who are still on Windows 10.

What would it cost your business if your computers were inaccessible for three days? A week? What if your files were encrypted and you had to decide whether to pay a ransom or rebuild from backup? Add up the realistic number. Then compare it to the cost of upgrading. That’s not rhetorical — it’s a real calculation, and it’s different for every business.

If you’d lose serious revenue from a few days of downtime, the answer is pretty clear. Upgrade now.

If you think your business could absorb it — or if the timing genuinely doesn’t work right now — there are ways to reduce your exposure in the meantime. A robust firewall, a decent third-party antivirus solution, and regular security awareness training for your team can meaningfully lower the chances that a vulnerability gets exploited. None of that makes Windows 10 safe. But it’s better than nothing while you plan. And if ESU applies to your situation, that’s worth exploring too.

What the upgrade actually looks like

The assumption most businesses have is that it’s going to be painful and disruptive. It doesn’t have to be.

We’ve been doing Windows migrations for 15-20 years across our clients here in the Lower Mainland, through every major version release. When it’s planned properly, it’s smooth. For businesses that need high uptime, we can migrate machines over a weekend or overnight. For most, a tiered approach works well — a few computers at a time, working through the fleet over a few weeks without disrupting day-to-day operations. Every client we’ve taken through this has said the process was painless.

The thing that makes upgrades complicated is when they’re reactive. Waiting until something goes wrong and then urgently migrating 20 computers while also dealing with an incident is a genuinely bad situation. Doing it on your schedule, with some lead time, is a completely different experience.

A note on managed IT relationships

For businesses with a managed IT provider, transitions like this should be largely a non-event. Keeping clients ahead of end-of-life deadlines is a core part of what a managed IT relationship is supposed to do. Most of our clients are already on Windows 11 or have a migration scheduled.

If you’re a managed IT client somewhere and your provider hasn’t brought this up, it’s worth asking why.

The short version: running Windows 10 isn’t automatically a crisis, but the risk grows over time and the upgrade is easier than most businesses expect. If you’d like to know which of your machines are still on Windows 10, whether they can run Windows 11, and what a realistic migration looks like for your business, we’re happy to take a look.

The post Windows 10 End of Life: What BC Businesses Should Do Now appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

Every February, something predictable happens across Canada. Millions of people start thinking about taxes. And thousands of criminals start thinking about those people.

Tax season is the single most productive window of the year for phishing attacks. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported that Canadians lost $704 million to fraud in 2025 — and authorities estimate that only 5% to 10% of fraud actually gets reported. The real number is likely several billion dollars.

For small businesses in Surrey, Langley, and the Lower Mainland, the risk is compounding. You’re not just a potential victim as a taxpayer. You’re a target as an employer, a payer of invoices, and a custodian of employee and client data. Attackers know this, and they’ve built their playbook around it.

Why Tax Season Is Different

Phishing works best when it rides an existing expectation. And between February and April, every Canadian expects to receive tax documents, CRA correspondence, and financial paperwork. That expectation is the exploit.

The Ontario Provincial Police issued a warning in March 2026 about a surge in CRA-themed scams — fake emails, deceptive text messages, and impersonation phone calls designed to steal personal and financial information. The OPP isn’t issuing that warning because these attacks are rare. They’re issuing it because they work.

Here’s what makes tax season phishing particularly dangerous for businesses: the attacks don’t just target the owner. They target anyone who touches money or data — your bookkeeper, your office manager, your payroll administrator. One employee clicking one link can open the door to everything.

The Three Attacks Hitting BC Businesses Right Now

1. Fake T4 and Payroll Emails

This is the corporate version of the CRA refund scam, and it’s more sophisticated.

An employee in your office receives an email that appears to come from your payroll provider or accounting software. The subject line reads something like “2025 Employee Tax Documents Ready” or “Updated T4 Slips — Action Required.” The email contains an attachment or a link to download what looks like a tax document.

On March 19, 2026, Microsoft Threat Intelligence published a report documenting a campaign that sent tax-themed phishing emails to approximately 100 organizations in manufacturing, retail, and healthcare. The emails used the subject line “2025 Employee Tax Docs” and contained a Word document attachment with a QR code pointing to a credential-harvesting page. Each document was customized with the recipient’s name, and the phishing URL contained their email address — meaning every employee received a unique, personalized attack.

This isn’t spray-and-pray anymore. It’s precision targeting at scale.

2. The CEO Payroll Request

This one is a classic business email compromise (BEC) attack, and tax season gives it a perfect cover story.

Your payroll administrator receives an email that appears to come from the owner or a senior manager. The message is short and urgent: “Can you send me copies of all employee T4s? Need them for the accountant before end of day.” The email address looks right. The tone sounds right. The request makes sense — it’s tax season, after all.

The FBI has identified this type of BEC attack as one of the most financially damaging cybercrime categories affecting organizations. BEC attacks increased 171% in 2025, with an average loss per incident exceeding $160,000 before recovery. In Canada specifically, the average BEC loss was $21,000 — lower than the global average, but devastating for a 15-person company in Langley.

The employee sends the T4s. Now the attacker has every employee’s full name, address, social insurance number, and income. That’s enough to file fraudulent tax returns, open credit accounts, and sell the data on dark web marketplaces.

3. CRA Impersonation — The Business Version

Most people think of CRA scams as those robocalls threatening arrest. Those still exist, but the business-targeted version is more subtle.

A business owner receives an email or text that looks like it’s from the CRA, stating there’s an issue with the company’s GST/HST remittance, payroll deductions, or corporate tax filing. The message includes a link to “resolve the issue” before penalties are applied. The fake CRA portal looks convincing. The business owner enters their credentials. The attacker now has access to the real CRA account — or worse, the login credentials the owner reuses across other systems.

The CRA itself published a warning in 2026 about AI-generated tax scams, noting that generative AI has become “the most prevalent type of AI used in relation to tax scams and fraud.” The old tells — broken English, fuzzy logos, clumsy formatting — are disappearing. AI produces clean, professional-looking fraud.

The AI Problem Is Getting Worse

A year ago, we wrote about AI-powered attacks in Canada’s 2025 Cyber Threat Assessment. Since then, the problem has accelerated exactly as predicted.

The Government of Canada’s October 2025 report on financial fraud stated that “artificial intelligence is making the problem worse by allowing fraudsters to produce more convincing impersonations, fake communications, and deceptive marketing tactics.”

For tax season specifically, that means:

• Phishing emails that read like your accountant wrote them. AI can match tone, use correct terminology, and reference real deadlines. The days of spotting a scam by its grammar are over.
• Voice cloning on phone calls. An attacker can clone someone’s voice from a few seconds of audio — a LinkedIn video, a voicemail greeting, a podcast appearance. Imagine your bookkeeper getting a call that sounds exactly like you, asking them to wire a tax payment.
• Fake CRA portals that are pixel-perfect. AI can generate professional-looking websites in minutes. The phishing page your employee lands on may be indistinguishable from the real My CRA login.

A 2025 Insurance Bureau of Canada survey found that 72% of Canadian small business owners are concerned that AI and new technology will complicate cyber protection — up from 65% the previous year. They’re right to be concerned. But concern without action doesn’t stop an attack.

The Numbers That Should Keep Business Owners Up at Night

Here’s where things stand for Canadian small businesses heading into the 2026 tax season:

• 73% of Canadian small businesses have already experienced a cybersecurity incident (BDC).
• Only 22% of Canadian SMEs carry any form of cyber insurance. Just 12% have a standalone policy (IBC, 2025).
• Only 48% have implemented any form of cyber defense (IBC, 2025).
• Only 45% have policies and training to help employees spot AI-generated scams (IBC, 2025).
• Canadian businesses spent $1.2 billion on recovery from cyber incidents in 2023 — double the $600 million spent in 2021 (Statistics Canada).

Read those numbers together. Nearly three-quarters of small businesses have been hit. Fewer than half have any defenses. Fewer than a quarter have insurance. And the attacks are getting smarter every month.

Tax season just concentrates all of this into a six-week window where everyone is distracted, stressed, and dealing with legitimate financial paperwork that looks a lot like the fraudulent kind.

What Your Business Should Do Before April 30

You don’t need a six-figure security budget. You need a few specific things done right, done now.

1. Brief your team — specifically about tax season scams.

This isn’t a generic cybersecurity training. This is a 15-minute conversation with anyone who handles payroll, finances, or sensitive documents. Tell them what to watch for:

• Any email requesting T4s, tax documents, or employee information — even if it appears to come from you.
• Any “CRA” communication that includes a link or requests login credentials.
• Any request involving urgency and money during tax season.

Establish a simple rule: any request involving tax documents, money transfers, or sensitive data gets verified by phone before anyone acts on it. Not by replying to the email. By picking up the phone and calling the person directly using a number you already have.

2. Lock down your payroll and accounting access.

Who in your organization can access employee T4s, social insurance numbers, and banking information? That list should be as short as possible. Every person on that list should have multi-factor authentication enabled. No exceptions.

If your payroll system allows it, set up alerts for bulk downloads or exports of employee tax documents. If someone downloads all your T4s at once, you want to know about it immediately.

3. Turn on multi-factor authentication everywhere.

If you’ve been putting this off, tax season is your deadline. MFA on your email. MFA on your CRA My Business Account. MFA on your accounting software. MFA on your payroll platform.

The Microsoft campaign we mentioned earlier specifically targeted credential theft. If those stolen credentials are protected by MFA, the attacker’s phishing page gets them a username and password that don’t work without the second factor. That’s the difference between a close call and a catastrophe.

4. Verify the CRA’s communication channels.

The CRA will never:

• Send refunds via e-transfer or text message.
• Ask for your social insurance number by email or phone.
• Request banking details through email.
• Threaten arrest or deportation.
• Demand payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid credit cards.

Print that list. Put it next to the phone. Make sure every employee who answers calls or reads company email has seen it.

5. Check your CRA My Business Account directly.

If you receive any communication claiming to be from the CRA, don’t click the link. Open a browser, type canada.ca yourself, and log into your account directly. If there’s a real issue, it will be there. If it’s not there, the communication was a scam.

This one habit neutralizes the vast majority of CRA impersonation attacks.

The Insurance Gap

Here’s a number that deserves its own section: 78% of Canadian small businesses have no cyber insurance at all.

That means if a phishing attack during tax season leads to a data breach — employee SINs stolen, client records exposed, ransomware deployed — most small businesses are paying for the response, the recovery, the legal fees, and the regulatory penalties entirely out of pocket.

Under PIPEDA, if employee personal information (like the data on a T4) is disclosed through a phishing attack, businesses may be required to report the breach to the Privacy Commissioner and notify affected individuals. In British Columbia, PIPA imposes additional obligations.

Cyber insurance doesn’t prevent attacks. But it can be the difference between a business surviving a breach and shutting its doors. If you don’t have a policy, get quotes before tax season ends. Many insurers will require basic security measures — like MFA and endpoint protection — as a condition of coverage. Those requirements aren’t arbitrary. They’re the minimum.

The Real Cost Isn’t the Ransom

When people think about cybercrime costs, they think about ransom payments. The actual financial damage is broader and quieter.

A successful phishing attack on your business during tax season might cost you:

• Direct financial loss from fraudulent wire transfers or misdirected payments.
• Employee trust when their personal information is compromised because your systems weren’t secure.
• Client trust if the breach extends to client data.
• Regulatory costs from mandatory breach reporting under PIPEDA and PIPA.
• Recovery costs. Canadian businesses spent $1.2 billion on cyber incident recovery in 2023. For a small business, even a fraction of that is existential.
• Operational downtime while systems are investigated, cleaned, and restored.

The average BEC loss in Canada is $21,000. That’s the average. For some businesses, a single incident costs far more — and for a company with 10 to 20 employees, $21,000 is a brutal hit to absorb in a single event.

This Is a Seasonal Problem With a Year-Round Fix

Tax season scams peak between February and April, but the defenses that protect you during this window protect you all year. MFA doesn’t expire in May. Employee awareness doesn’t become irrelevant in June. Proper access controls on your payroll system don’t stop mattering after the filing deadline.

The businesses that get through tax season without incident aren’t the ones who panicked in March. They’re the ones who built basic security into their operations months ago and maintain it consistently.

That said, if you haven’t done those things yet, today is better than tomorrow. And tomorrow is better than the day after your bookkeeper clicks a link in a fake T4 email.

How Raxxos Protects Lower Mainland Businesses

At Raxxos, we manage IT and cybersecurity for small businesses across Surrey, Langley, and the Greater Vancouver area. During tax season, we see these attacks hit our clients’ inboxes every single day. The difference is that our clients have the defenses in place to stop them.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Email Security and Phishing Protection: Advanced filtering that catches fraudulent tax emails, CRA impersonation attempts, and BEC attacks before they reach your employees.
• Multi-Factor Authentication Setup: We configure MFA across your email, accounting software, payroll platform, and CRA accounts — and we make sure it actually stays turned on.
• Employee Security Awareness Training: Ongoing training that includes simulated phishing attacks so your team learns to recognize the real thing. We update the training scenarios for tax season every year.
• Endpoint Protection: If someone does click a malicious link, endpoint detection catches the malware before it spreads.
• 24/7 Monitoring: We monitor your systems around the clock. If something suspicious happens at 11 PM on a Tuesday, we catch it before your team arrives Wednesday morning.
• Incident Response: If something does get through, we have a response plan ready. Containment, investigation, recovery — all handled so you can focus on running your business.

We respond to support requests in an average of under 15 minutes. Our office is in Cloverdale, on the Surrey/Langley border, which means we can be on-site fast when you need us. And we price everything on a flat monthly rate per user — no surprise bills, no per-incident charges that punish you for calling when something looks wrong.

If your business doesn’t have these basics in place and tax season is making you nervous, we offer a free 30-minute IT consultation to assess where you stand. No obligation, no pitch. Just an honest look at your setup and what needs attention.

Book your free consultation or call us at (604) 260-6869.

Further Reading

• CRA: How to Recognize a Scam
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — report fraud or check current scam alerts
• Canada’s 2025 Cyber Threat Report: What BC Small Businesses Need to Know
• Free Employee AI Usage Policy Template
• Restaurant Cybersecurity Guide for Lower Mainland Operators
• CRA: What You Need to Know About AI-Generated Tax Scams

Published: March 2026. For the most current scam alerts, visit CRA Scams and Fraud or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

The post 2026 Tax Season Phishing Scams In British Columbia appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

According to Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, over 30% of hospitality businesses suffered at least one cyberattack in 2025, with breaches costing upwards of $3.4 million each. And HSB Canada reports that 46% of restaurant cyber losses come from malware and hacking alone.

The restaurant industry has embraced technology faster than almost any other sector. Online ordering. QR code menus. Integrated POS systems. Digital reservations. But as Trish Dyl from Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst puts it: “The restaurant industry is moving quickly to absorb digital innovations while missing the most essential step — cybersecurity.”

Here’s what you need to know to protect your business.

Why Restaurants Are Prime Targets

Restaurants check every box on a cybercriminal’s wishlist:

• High transaction volume: Toast reports that 88% of restaurant transactions are paid by credit card. Every swipe is data that can be stolen.
• High staff turnover: New employees mean new training gaps. According to IBM, 95% of security incidents involve human error.
• Complex technology stacks: Your POS system talks to your payment processor, which talks to your reservation platform, which connects to your delivery apps. Each integration is a potential entry point.
• Limited IT resources: Most restaurants don’t have dedicated IT staff. Technology decisions often fall to managers already juggling a dozen other responsibilities.
• Extended hours: Restaurants operate when most IT support doesn’t. A problem at 10 PM on a Saturday can’t wait until Monday.

This combination makes restaurants attractive to both sophisticated criminal organizations and opportunistic hackers using automated tools.

The Real Threats Facing Lower Mainland Restaurants

Let’s look at what’s actually happening to restaurants in our region and across Canada.

POS System Attacks

Your point-of-sale system is the heart of your operation and the primary target for attackers.

In 2014, a strain of malware called JackPOS compromised nearly 700 credit cards in Canada, with 400 of those coming from Vancouver alone. The attackers used a simple technique: they created a list of common passwords (POS1, Administrator, 123456789) and brute-forced their way into systems with remote access enabled.

More recently, the BlackCat ransomware group attacked Aloha POS software, impacting thousands of restaurants and stealing sensitive credentials.

The lesson: if your POS system is accessible remotely and protected by a weak password, it’s only a matter of time.

Ransomware Targeting Restaurant Chains

In 2018, Recipe Unlimited (the parent company of Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, Milestones, Kelseys, Montana’s, and East Side Mario’s) was hit with a ransomware attack that forced multiple locations to close and left others unable to process credit or debit transactions.

The attackers claimed they had encrypted the company’s files “with the strongest military algorithms” and demanded Bitcoin payment. Every day of delay cost an additional 0.5 Bitcoin (over $4,000 CAD at the time).

This isn’t ancient history. In July 2025, Colabor Group, a major food wholesaler in Quebec, announced a cybersecurity incident. When your suppliers get hit, your supply chain gets disrupted.

The BC Hydro Scam Targeting Vancouver Restaurants

The Vancouver Police Department has warned about a scam specifically targeting local restaurants: callers claim to be from BC Hydro, saying the business has an outstanding electricity bill. They threaten to cut power within hours unless the restaurant makes immediate payment via cryptocurrency.

It’s a simple scam, but it works because it exploits the pressure restaurant staff feel to keep operations running. The lesson: legitimate service providers never demand cryptocurrency payments, and they don’t threaten to cut power without warning.

Internal Fraud and POS Manipulation

Not all threats come from outside. A BC Business Magazine investigation documented widespread fraud in BC restaurants, with investigators reviewing 1,500 POS transactions from roughly 300 local establishments.

One case: a server earned $32,000 by recycling a single bill throughout her shifts. Another: a former maître d’ at Vancouver’s 900 West returned wine bottles for cash refunds, stealing cases worth over $400 each.

The technology that makes your restaurant efficient can also be manipulated by those who understand it. Proper access controls and monitoring aren’t just about outside hackers. They protect you from internal threats too.

The AI Factor: Why Threats Are Getting Worse

As we covered in our analysis of Canada’s 2025 Cyber Threat Assessment, artificial intelligence is making attacks more dangerous across the board.

For restaurants, this means:

Better Phishing Emails

Attackers are using AI to craft personalized, grammatically perfect emails. That “urgent message from your landlord” or “complaint from a health inspector” might look completely legitimate. Your staff can’t rely on broken English or obvious formatting errors anymore.

Voice Cloning Scams

AI voice models have become good enough to spoof someone’s voice in real time. Imagine your staff receiving a call that sounds exactly like you, instructing them to wire money or share login credentials. This is happening now.

Automated Target Selection

Attackers use AI to scan for vulnerable systems at scale. They’re not picking your restaurant specifically. They’re identifying every business with an exposed POS system or unpatched software and attacking them all simultaneously.

Five Steps to Protect Your Restaurant

Here’s what you can actually do, starting this week.

1. Secure Your POS System

Your POS is your biggest vulnerability. Protect it:

• Change default passwords immediately. The JackPOS attacks succeeded because restaurants used passwords like “123456789.”
• Disable remote access unless absolutely necessary. If you need it, require multi-factor authentication.
• Keep your POS software updated. Vendors patch vulnerabilities regularly. If you’re running outdated software, you’re running with known security holes.
• Segment your network. Your POS system shouldn’t be on the same network as your guest Wi-Fi.

2. Train Your Staff (Seriously)

With 95% of security incidents involving human error, your team is both your biggest vulnerability and your best defense.

Train staff to:

• Verify unexpected requests. Any call or email asking for payment, credentials, or sensitive information gets verified through a separate channel. Call the person directly using a number you know, not the one they provided.
• Recognize phishing attempts. Modern phishing looks professional. Train staff to be suspicious of urgency, unusual requests, and anything that “just doesn’t feel right.”
• Report incidents immediately. The faster you know about a potential breach, the faster you can respond.

This isn’t a one-time training. It needs to be ongoing, especially given high turnover in the industry.

3. Separate Guest and Business Networks

Your customers expect Wi-Fi. But that guest network should be completely isolated from your business systems.

• Guest Wi-Fi: Separate SSID, separate VLAN, no access to internal systems.
• Staff network: Protected, monitored, with proper access controls.
• POS network: Ideally isolated from both, with strict firewall rules.

This prevents a customer with malicious intent (or malware on their device) from accessing your business systems.

4. Implement Proper Backup and Recovery

If ransomware hits, backups are your lifeline. But only if they’re done right:

• Automated, regular backups of all critical data.
• Offsite or cloud storage that attackers can’t reach if they compromise your main systems.
• Tested recovery procedures. When was the last time you actually restored from backup? Do it before you need to.

5. Get Cyber Insurance

Even with the best defenses, breaches happen. Cyber insurance provides a safety net for:

• Data breach response costs
• Business interruption losses
• Legal fees and regulatory fines
• Customer notification and credit monitoring

Review your policy carefully. Many require specific security measures (like multi-factor authentication) as a condition of coverage.

The Heritage Building Challenge

Many of the Lower Mainland’s best restaurants operate in heritage buildings. These spaces have character, but they also have infrastructure challenges.

We’ve worked with restaurants like Brix & Mortar in Yaletown, where 1912 brick walls hide decades of mixed wiring. Running modern, secure technology in these environments requires planning: hidden cabling, limited space for equipment, and the need to maintain reliable systems without disrupting service.

It can be done, but it requires experience with both the technology and the unique constraints of heritage properties.

Multi-Location Complexity

If you operate multiple locations, your security challenge multiplies. Each location needs consistent policies, standardized systems, and centralized monitoring.

We’ve supported over 20 Joseph Richard Group locations across Surrey and Langley. The key is standardization: same security policies, same POS configurations, same monitoring across every location. When something goes wrong at one site, you need to know immediately and be able to respond.

What to Look for in an IT Partner

Most restaurants don’t need (and can’t afford) full-time IT staff. But you do need a partner who understands the unique demands of the industry.

Look for:

• 24/7 monitoring and support. Problems don’t wait for business hours. Your IT support shouldn’t either.
• Restaurant experience. Generic IT providers don’t understand POS systems, kitchen display integration, or the pressure of a Saturday night service.
• Proactive security. You want issues caught before they disrupt service, not after.
• Local presence. When you need someone on-site, they should be able to get there quickly.

For more on selecting the right partner, see our guide on how to choose a managed IT provider in Vancouver.

The Bottom Line

Cybersecurity isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t bring customers through the door or improve your Yelp rating. But a breach can close you down. A ransomware attack during your busiest season can cost you thousands in lost revenue. A data breach can destroy customer trust you’ve spent years building.

The good news: the basics work. Strong passwords. Multi-factor authentication. Network segmentation. Staff training. Regular backups. These aren’t expensive or complicated. They just need to be done consistently.

The restaurants that thrive in this environment are the ones that treat cybersecurity as part of operations, not an afterthought. Just like you invest in food safety, staff training, and customer experience, security deserves attention.

How Raxxos Supports Lower Mainland Restaurants

At Raxxos, we’ve been providing managed IT services to restaurants in Surrey, Langley, and across the Lower Mainland for over 15 years. We understand that downtime during service isn’t an option and that your technology needs to work as hard as your staff.

Our restaurant clients get:

• 24/7 System Monitoring: We catch problems before they affect your kitchen or front-of-house.
• POS Support and Security: Proper configuration, monitoring, and protection for your point-of-sale systems.
• Secure Wi-Fi Management: Separate networks for guests and staff, with proper security protocols.
• Staff Security Training: Ongoing education so your team recognizes modern threats.
• Backup and Recovery: Immutable backups designed to recover from ransomware.
• Multi-Location Support: Consistent security across all your sites.

Whether you’re a single location or expanding across the region, we provide flat-rate, predictable IT support that scales with your business.

Contact Raxxos today for a free security assessment. Let’s find out where you’re vulnerable before someone else does.

Further Reading

• Brix Restaurant Case Study: How we’ve supported Yaletown’s Brix & Mortar for 15 years
• Canada’s 2025 Cyber Threat Report: What the national assessment means for BC businesses
• Cybersecurity Tips for Surrey and Langley Businesses in 2026: Practical guidance for local operators
• Raxxos Cybersecurity Services: Our full range of security solutions
• AI, Cybersecurity, and the Future of Dining: Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst’s analysis of industry threats
• National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026: Full report from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

Published: January 2026. For the most current threat information, visit cyber.gc.ca or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The post Restaurant Cybersecurity: A Practical Guide for Vancouver, Surrey, and Langley Operators appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

We should really get a name that covers both cities. Like Surlang. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Also, since the area is so new, it has a larger proportion of new businesses and startups than the Vancouver area. Less years of business experience unfortunately equals more risk.

So, it’s expected that cybersecurity is going to be a major challenge for Surrey and Langley BC in 2026 and beyond, especially while we’re currently seeing possibly the most exponential change in technology ever with the development of AI.

The baseline security we put in place for clients

Here’s what we do for our clients.

Take notes so you can DIY it into your business, make sure your current IT company is doing it, or just call us and we’ll take care of it for you.

For our clients, we start with a basic security stack that gives them a solid foundation, and while the exact setup can vary between businesses, the core pieces tend to stay pretty consistent.

That stack usually includes an enterprise-level firewall to protect the physical office from internet-based attacks, along with a unified system like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace so company data stays contained inside a controlled environment instead of being scattered across personal accounts and devices.

On top of that, we deploy specialized antivirus that we can manage and monitor from a central portal, and that software goes on every company-owned laptop, PC, and server so nothing slips through the cracks.

We also make sure multi-factor authentication is enforced on as many systems as possible, because even simple extra steps can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

All of these things are relatively easy for us to implement and don’t require much ongoing effort from the client side, which most business owners appreciate, because once everything is set up, it just runs in the background.

Where attacks are actually getting through now

The harder part, and the part we see becoming the most important going into 2026, is employee security awareness, because more and more attacks are succeeding without doing anything technical at all.

One of the biggest examples of this is phone impersonation attacks, where AI voice models have become good enough that an attacker can spoof someone’s voice in real time and make the call sound exactly like a person the victim already knows.

In some cases, the attacker can even spoof the phone number, which removes another layer of suspicion and makes the situation feel normal in the moment.

We’ve already seen this work on both business users and home users, and it’s been surprisingly effective because it relies on trust instead of exploiting a system vulnerability.

CEO and finance impersonation is a major risk

A common version of this type of attack involves someone impersonating a CEO and calling a CFO with a request for a wire transfer, often framed as urgent and time-sensitive so there’s pressure to act quickly.

Because the voice sounds real and the request feels familiar, people sometimes follow through before stopping to verify, and unfortunately this has worked many times across different organizations.

That’s why employee awareness training has become such a big focus for us, because these attacks don’t rely on breaking into networks or bypassing software controls, they rely on convincing a real person to take action.

What awareness training actually looks like

Security awareness training does take time from the company and from employees, and that part can be inconvenient, but these risks can’t be ignored anymore.

Some of the safeguards we recommend are straightforward and practical, like approving large transactions in person, hanging up and calling a trusted number to verify a request, or adding additional approvers so financial decisions don’t rest with just one person.

For larger transactions, we often recommend having both the CEO and the CFO involved in the approval process, because even small delays and extra checks can stop an attack before any money leaves the business.

These steps don’t require advanced tools or complicated systems, they just create enough friction to prevent most impersonation attempts from succeeding.

Why cyber insurance still matters

Even with strong technical protections and trained employees, no system is ever 100 percent secure, and that’s just the reality of running a business today.

That’s why having a cyber insurance policy is still important, because if something does get past the protections, insurance can help cover the financial impact while the business works through recovery.

It’s not a replacement for security measures, but it does provide a level of protection when something unexpected happens.

How we think about cybersecurity for Surrey businesses

Cybersecurity today is layered, and it works best when each layer supports the others instead of standing on its own.

It includes the firewall and systems that protect the network, the way employees respond to requests and verify information, and the insurance coverage that’s there if something still goes wrong.

All of those pieces matter, and leaving any one of them out creates a gap that attackers are more than willing to take advantage of.

For local Surrey and Langley businesses (Surlang), the goal isn’t to overcomplicate things or overwhelm people with tools, it’s to put the right protections and habits in place so the business can keep operating smoothly even when something unexpected happens.

But no matter what, do something, and always be improving.

Stay safe!

The post Cybersecurity Tips for Local Surrey and Langley Businesses in 2026 appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security just released its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026, and if you run a business in Surrey, Langley, or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, you need to pay attention.

The report is Canada’s official intelligence assessment of the threats targeting Canadian organizations right now. The findings are sobering, especially for small and medium-sized businesses that often assume they’re “too small to target.”

Here’s what the report says, what it means for your business, and what you can actually do about it.

The Headline: Ransomware Is Canada’s #1 Cyber Threat

According to the Cyber Centre, ransomware is the top cybercrime threat facing Canada’s critical infrastructure, and it’s not slowing down.

The numbers are stark:

• Global ransomware incidents rose 74% in 2023 compared to 2022
• Global ransom payments hit a record $1 billion USD
• The average ransom paid in Canada in 2023 was $1.13 million CAD, up almost 150% in two years
• Ransomware incidents in Canada have grown an average of 26% year-over-year since 2021

What’s worse: these numbers are almost certainly underreported. Many businesses don’t report ransomware attacks due to reputational concerns or because they quietly pay the ransom and move on.

Why Small Businesses Are Prime Targets

If you’re thinking “we’re just a 20-person company in Langley, why would hackers care about us?” that’s exactly the mindset attackers exploit.

Small and medium businesses are attractive targets because:

• Weaker defenses: Unlike large enterprises, SMBs often lack dedicated security staff, advanced monitoring, and robust backup systems.
• Faster payouts: A $50,000 ransom is devastating to a small business but small enough that many will pay rather than lose weeks of downtime.
• Supply chain access: Attackers know that compromising a small vendor can give them access to larger clients.

The Cyber Centre specifically notes that ransomware actors are exploiting digital supply chains, targeting software vendors and service providers to cascade attacks across multiple victims. If your business uses third-party software or cloud services (and you do), you’re part of someone’s supply chain.

AI Is Making Attacks More Dangerous

The report highlights a trend that should concern every business owner: artificial intelligence is supercharging cyber attacks.

The Cyber Centre states that AI technologies are “almost certainly lowering the barriers to entry and enhancing the quality, scale, and precision of malicious cyber threat activity.”

Here’s how attackers are using AI right now:

1. Better Phishing Emails

Remember when phishing emails were easy to spot because of broken English and obvious formatting errors? Those days are over.

Attackers are using large language models (like ChatGPT) to craft personalized, grammatically perfect phishing emails at scale. These emails mimic human writing styles, reference real business contexts, and are increasingly difficult for employees to identify.

2. Deepfake Voice and Video

The report warns that cybercriminals are creating realistic audio and visual content impersonating trusted individuals: your CEO, your accountant, your IT provider.

We’ve already seen cases in Canada where employees received phone calls that sounded exactly like their boss, instructing them to wire money or share credentials. The voice was AI-generated.

3. Automated Attack Scaling

Skilled attackers are using AI to automate parts of the attack chain, allowing them to target more organizations simultaneously. What used to require a team of hackers can now be partially automated.

The “Cybercrime-as-a-Service” Economy

One of the most important findings in the report: you don’t need to be a skilled hacker to launch a cyber attack anymore.

The Cyber Centre describes a thriving Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) ecosystem where:

• Specialized criminals sell ready-to-use ransomware kits
• Online marketplaces trade stolen credentials and leaked data
• Attack infrastructure can be rented by the hour
• “Customer support” is available for would-be attackers

This has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for cybercrime. A teenager with a credit card can now rent sophisticated attack tools that would have required nation-state resources a decade ago.

For business owners, this means the threat isn’t just from elite hacking groups. It’s from a distributed network of opportunistic criminals looking for easy targets. And “easy” usually means “unprotected.”

What This Means for BC Businesses

Let’s translate this into practical terms for a business in Surrey, Langley, or the Lower Mainland.

You’re Not Too Small

The CaaS model means attackers can target thousands of businesses simultaneously with automated tools. They’re not picking you specifically. They’re scanning for vulnerabilities and exploiting whatever they find. Size doesn’t protect you; security posture does.

Your Employees Are the Front Line

With AI-enhanced phishing and deepfakes, technical controls alone aren’t enough. Your team needs to understand the threats and know how to respond. Regular security awareness training is no longer optional. It’s essential.

Backups Aren’t Enough

Many businesses assume that if they have backups, they’re protected from ransomware. But modern ransomware attackers have adapted:

• They often lurk in systems for weeks before encrypting, ensuring backups are also infected
• They steal data before encrypting, threatening to publish it unless you pay (double extortion)
• They target backup systems specifically

You need immutable, tested, offsite backups and a recovery plan you’ve actually practiced.

Your Vendors Are a Risk Vector

The MOVEit attack mentioned in the report impacted 2,750 businesses and 94 million individuals through a single software vulnerability. If you’re using cloud services, SaaS applications, or third-party vendors, you’re inheriting their security posture.

Ask your vendors about their security practices. Get it in writing.

Five Actions to Take This Week

Reading about threats is one thing. Doing something about them is another. Here are five concrete steps you can take immediately:

1. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere

If you do nothing else, do this. MFA blocks the vast majority of credential-based attacks. Enable it on:

• Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
• Banking and financial accounts
• Remote access and VPN
• Any system that stores sensitive data

2. Test Your Backups

When was the last time you actually restored from backup? Do it this week. You might discover your backups aren’t as reliable as you assumed.

3. Train Your Team on AI-Enhanced Phishing

Your staff needs to know that phishing emails no longer have obvious tells. Implement a policy: any unexpected request for money, credentials, or sensitive data gets verified through a separate channel (call the person directly using a known number, not the one in the email).

4. Review Your Cyber Insurance

If you have cyber insurance, review your policy. Many policies have exclusions or requirements (like MFA) that could void coverage. If you don’t have cyber insurance, get quotes. The ransomware statistics make the case.

5. Get a Professional Security Assessment

You don’t know what you don’t know. An external assessment can identify vulnerabilities before attackers do. The goal is understanding your actual risk, not checking a compliance box.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here’s what the Cyber Centre report makes clear: the threat is growing faster than most businesses are adapting.

Ransomware is up 26% year-over-year. AI is making attacks more sophisticated. The barrier to entry for cybercrime is dropping. And small businesses remain the soft targets that fund the entire ecosystem.

The businesses that will navigate this environment successfully are the ones that treat cybersecurity as a business priority, not an IT afterthought. That means investing in the right tools, training, and partnerships before an incident forces your hand.

How Raxxos Helps Lower Mainland Businesses Stay Protected

At Raxxos, we’ve been providing managed IT services to businesses in Surrey, Langley, and across the Lower Mainland for over 15 years. Cybersecurity is woven into everything we do.

Our approach includes:

• 24/7 Monitoring: We detect and respond to threats before they become incidents.
• Managed Backups: Immutable, tested, and designed to recover from ransomware.
• Security Awareness Training: Ongoing education to help your team recognize modern threats.
• Microsoft 365 Security: Proper configuration and monitoring of your cloud environment.
• Vendor Risk Management: Helping you understand and manage third-party risks.

Our goal is to give you an honest assessment of where you stand and what it would take to close the gaps.

Contact Raxxos today to schedule a free security assessment. Let’s find out where you’re vulnerable before someone else does.

Further Reading

• National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026: Full report from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
• ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot: A Privacy Guide for Canadian Executives: Our guide to using AI safely in your business
• How to Choose a Managed IT Provider in Vancouver: What to look for in an IT partner

Published: December 2025. This article is based on the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026. For the most current threat information, visit cyber.gc.ca.

The post Canada’s 2025 Cyber Threat Report: What BC Small Businesses Need to Know appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

The answer mostly depends on two things: which productivity platform your company is already using, and what kind of tasks you want AI to help with.

What Are Gemini and Copilot

• Microsoft Copilot is the AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive/SharePoint, and more. When you open a document, spreadsheet or email, Copilot can help you draft, edit, summarize or analyze it.
• Google Gemini (under Google Workspace / Gemini Enterprise) brings Google’s AI tools into Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, and other Google services. It also supports advanced AI features — like multi-modal input (text, images, context), collaborative workflows, and “AI agents” for business tasks.

What Each Tool Does Best

Copilot — Strong for Structured Workflows & Business Data

• Copilot works right inside your existing Office files — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams. That makes it good for creating reports, drafting formal documents, building spreadsheets, summarizing emails, and doing data analysis.
• Because your files are already stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, Copilot can read them (with permissions) and provide context-aware output — for instance summarizing a project’s documents, or generating a presentation from spreadsheet data.
• Copilot tends to shine for tasks where structure, consistency, and integration with enterprise security is important — good for businesses handling sensitive data or regulated workflows.

Gemini — Flexible, Creative & Multi-Modal

• Gemini handles not just text, but also creative or complex tasks. It’s good for brainstorming, drafting, summarizing, researching — even working with images or mixed media (text + images + context) when your workflow involves that.
• If your company already uses Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Drive — Gemini fits naturally. That means less friction for employees switching between tools and fewer separate vendors handling your data.
• Gemini can be beneficial for teams that value flexibility, creative output, research, and broader context over rigid workflows.

Why Ecosystem Matters for Security and Simplicity

One of the biggest advantages of both Copilot and Gemini is that they keep your data within a single ecosystem.

If you already rely on Microsoft 365, using Copilot means your files, emails, calendars, chats and AI processing stay within Microsoft’s infrastructure.

If your business uses Google Workspace — Gmail, Docs, Drive and more — Gemini keeps data inside Google’s environment.

That design reduces the number of different platforms where your sensitive business data is stored or processed. Fewer platforms equals fewer opportunities for leaks or mishandling.

For Canadian businesses — especially small to mid-size firms — minimizing data exposure and vendor sprawl isn’t just smart, it’s responsible.

Which One Should You Use: Guidelines

Here’s a quick flow to help decide:

• If your company already uses Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams), choose Copilot.
• If your company is built around Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Sheets), go with Gemini.
• If you need structured document creation, spreadsheets, data analysis, enterprise security, Copilot likely serves you better.
• If you prioritize creative work, flexibility, research, mixed-media tasks, or just simplicity in Google tools, Gemini could be the better fit.

What This Means for Raxxos Clients (and Other Local Businesses in Surrey / BC)

As an IT partner serving small and medium businesses, we see a lot of mixed setups.

When a business has already committed to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, switching AI tools to match that platform is often the safest, smartest move.

That reduces risk. It simplifies training. It keeps data governance cleaner.

If you don’t yet have a clear workspace platform, we can help evaluate which ecosystem, Microsoft or Google, matches your business needs, then implement AI safely with a policy that protects your data.

Final Thought

There’s no universal “best” AI, only the best match for your business setup, goals and risk tolerance.

Choose the assistant that fits your existing platform. Keep your data in one place. Train your team to stick to approved tools.

The right AI doesn’t just make you faster. It keeps you safer.

If you want help mapping this out for your company, Raxxos is ready to support you. Contact us for a free consultation.

The post Gemini vs Copilot: Which AI Assistant Is Right for Your Business appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

Most companies in Surrey and across the Lower Mainland are wondering the same thing right now…

Should we be using ChatGPT or some other AI tool at work? And if so, which one?

The honest answer is pretty boring: It depends on the systems you already use today.

And for most businesses, ChatGPT isn’t the answer! Keep reading and we’ll explain why.

The Real Question: Where Does Your Data Live

Every AI tool needs data to work well. The moment your employees paste information into an AI system, your business is now trusting that company with whatever they typed in.

This is where most businesses get themselves into trouble. They jump between ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and whatever random tool pops up.

Every jump creates another place your company’s data can sit.

More places means more exposure, and more exposure means more risk.

If You Use Microsoft 365, Use Microsoft Copilot

For most Canadian businesses running on Microsoft 365, the best choice is Copilot.

Here’s why:

• Microsoft already holds your email, files, calendars, Teams messages, and SharePoint data.
• Copilot works inside that same environment, so nothing new is being shared with a new company.
• You stay within one trusted ecosystem that is already covered by the same security and compliance rules your business relies on.

Instead of copying your data into ChatGPT, Copilot can work directly inside Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams.

It’s safer, cleaner, and much easier to manage at a company level.

If You Use Google Workspace, Use Google Gemini

Same idea here: If your business runs on Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs, then Gemini is the safest pick.

Google already has your data.

There’s no reason to add another vendor into the mix when Gemini can work inside the tools your team already uses every day.

Security-first Approach

It’s not about which AI tool is “best”.

It’s about using the system that keeps your data in the fewest places possible.

AI is opening a gigantic new level of risk and it’s happening at break-neck speeds. In fact, many experts are calling it a black-box of risk because there are still so many implications we have yet to discover.

That’s why it’s important to be extra cautious, because we don’t even know how bad a breach could be yet.

Set a Clear AI Policy for Your Staff

Pick one AI system for your business and standardize on it.

Then make a simple rule:

Employees must only use the company-approved AI tool.

No copying and pasting company data into ChatGPT, Claude, or any other public AI system.

This protects your customer information. It protects your intellectual property. And it keeps your business from spreading sensitive data across the internet without realizing it.

Where Raxxos Comes In

At Raxxos, we support dozens of businesses across Surrey and the Lower Mainland. We see how quickly AI tools are being adopted on the fly with no structure.

That’s usually the moment where problems start.

If your business wants help:

• Choosing the right AI platform
• Locking down access
• Creating an internal AI policy
• Training staff on safe use

We can set that up for you and keep things simple.

Final Thoughts

AI is a powerful tool for small and medium-sized businesses in BC. But it only works safely when your team uses it the right way.

Stick to the ecosystem you already live in, keep your data in one place, and have a clear policy so everyone stays on the same page.

If you want to sort out the best path for your company, Raxxos can walk you through it. Call us at (604) 260-6869 or click here to schedule a free consultation.

The post Should Your Business Use ChatGPT? appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

This isn’t just your standard spam folder noise. This specific warning is trending globally right now, from Newsweek headlines to the front page of Reddit, because of its timing. We are days away from Black Friday 2025, and cybercriminals have launched what experts are calling their most sophisticated campaign yet.

At Raxxos, we’ve already fielded calls today from clients in Surrey and Langley asking if their accounts are safe. The short answer: Amazon hasn’t been breached, but the attacks targeting you have evolved.

Here is exactly what is happening today, what the internet is saying, and how to keep your credit card safe this weekend.

Why Is This Trending Right Now?

Yesterday and today (November 24–25), Amazon issued a critical security advisory regarding a surge in “impersonation scams.” According to reports from Forbes and The Economic Times, the alert was triggered by a massive uptick in credential-stuffing attacks and browser-based push notifications designed to steal login details.

The numbers are staggering. Cybersecurity analysts have reported a 232% increase in fake Amazon websites popping up just in time for this week’s sales. These aren’t just “Prince of Nigeria” emails; these are pixel-perfect replicas of Amazon’s “Your Orders” page.

What Is Reddit Saying Today?

To see how these attacks are looking in the wild, we dove into the conversations happening on Reddit today. The frustration is palpable, but the community is spotting the patterns.

In a trending thread on r/amazonprime, users are discussing how difficult it has become to distinguish between real “limited time deals” and scam urgency. One user noted that the “fake urgency” of the sales makes the phishing emails much harder to spot:

“The ‘deal’ is paying extra for a yellow label… fake urgency, fake ‘original’ prices. It honestly feels like they’re A/B testing how cooked our brains are.”

Meanwhile, over on r/Scams, users are reporting a specific text message scam hitting phones today. The texts claim a “routine quality inspection” failed on a recent order and offer a refund link. As one user warned: “They offer a refund if you click a link… but there is no refund. Instead, it’s a phishing scam to steal your money.”

How to Stay Safe (The Raxxos Checklist)

We know you want to get your Black Friday shopping done without a headache. Here is how to navigate the chaos of the next few days:

1. The “App Rule” (Golden Rule)
If you receive an email, text, or browser notification claiming there is a delay or issue with your order—do not click it. Close the message and open the official Amazon app on your phone. If there is a real problem, it will be flagged in your “Your Orders” section.

2. Watch for “Urgency”
Scammers rely on panic. As noted in the Amazon warning email cited by Newsweek, be skeptical of any message demanding you act “immediately” to save your account. Real security teams rarely panic; scammers always do.

3. Switch to Passkeys
Amazon is urging users to move away from passwords entirely. If you haven’t yet, enable Passkeys in your account settings. This allows you to log in using your face or fingerprint, which is significantly harder for a hacker to steal than a password.

We’ve Got Your Back

For our business clients in the Lower Mainland, this is a good reminder to alert your team. A compromised personal Amazon account often shares a password with a business email, creating a backdoor for attackers.

If you’re unsure about a notification or think you might have clicked a bad link, give Raxxos a shout. We’re here to help you navigate the tech headaches, so you can get back to the holiday deals.

The post The Amazon “Account Attackers” Warning: What You Need To Know appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

High-profile breaches have hit Canada’s economy: for example, London Drugs (a Canadian pharmacy chain) was forced to shut down all 78 stores in Western Canada in April 2024 after detecting a ransomware attack (bitdefender.com). Even small municipalities felt the impact – the Town of Orangeville, ON, discovered on Feb 27, 2025 that a cyber-attack had crippled its library and theater services, forcing IT staff to take systems offline and bring in external security experts (citizen.on.ca). These cases show that no one is too small to be targeted.

As we head into 2025, the threat landscape is evolving with new AI-driven scams and more aggressive attackers. This guide (from Raxxos Technology Inc., a managed IT services provider in Surrey, BC) covers recent Canadian attacks, top cyber threats this year, practical DIY cybersecurity steps (like MFA, strong passwords, updates and backups), and how/when to bring in a managed IT provider.

Recent Cyberattacks in Canada

Canadian businesses and public agencies have seen a string of cyber incidents in the past year. These real-world examples underline that any organization can be vulnerable:

• London Drugs (April 2024) – The BC-based pharmacy chain discovered on April 28, 2024 that it was the victim of a cyberattack (bitdefender.com). All 78 of its stores across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba closed “until further notice” to contain the breach, which turned out to be a ransomware incident. London Drugs immediately hired cybersecurity experts, sealed off affected networks, and later assured customers that there was “no reason to believe” patient data was stolen. This week-long shutdown left customers without prescriptions and illustrated how ransomware can disrupt essential services.
  
• Ganong (March 2025) – In March 2025, Ganong Bros. (a chocolate candy maker in St. Stephen, NB) announced that it had suffered an “IT security incident” in late February (country94.ca). The attack (later identified as ransomware) was discovered on Feb. 22, 2025. Ganong immediately implemented countermeasures, engaged third-party cyber experts and legal counsel, and began a forensic investigation. Although the company did not say whether a ransom was paid, it did say operations were restored to normal soon after, and it would notify anyone if personal data was compromised.
  
• Orangeville, ON (Feb 2025) – The Town of Orangeville (pop. ~30,000) was struck by a cyber-attack on Feb. 27, 2025 that affected municipal systems including the public library and Theatre Orangeville (citizen.on.ca). Town officials “took immediate actions to safeguard information” upon detecting the breach, and have worked with cybersecurity experts to investigate and add extra safeguards. As of early March, it was still unclear if personal data was stolen. The incident forced Orangeville to suspend some services while it rebuilt its network and security measures.
  
• Fort St. John, BC (Feb 2025) – On Feb. 25, 2025, the City of Fort St. John learned that it was under a “cyber incident” that knocked out email, phone lines and internet access across City Hall (brokentypewriter.ca). The city “immediately severed [its] connections to limit unauthorized activity” , but the outage meant residents could not pay bills in person or use online services for days. City officials worked with cyber specialists to restore critical services, highlighting how even smaller municipal governments need robust incident response plans.
  
• Pharmascience (June 2024) – In June 2024 the Quebec-based generic drugmaker Pharmascience disclosed that it had discovered an intrusion in its IT systems on June 1, 2024 (lapresse.ca). The company did not fully detail the attack, but confirmed its systems were compromised. La Presse reported that the incident “recalls the fragility of the country’s drug supply chain”. This shows that critical industries (even pharma) are being targeted by ransomware and other cyber threats.

These incidents underscore the range of victims – from pharmacies and manufacturers to local governments and unions – in the past year.

They show that cybercrime is no longer limited to tech giants; even modest operations can face very costly downtime. In each case above, impacted organizations had to call in outside help (forensic investigators, security consultants, or police) to recover.

“Hackers target small businesses too,” notes a recent BDC report. For example, 73% of small businesses surveyed had already experienced a cyber incident (bdc.ca) – yet many still assume “it won’t happen to me.” Attacks are on the rise with new tactics (AI-enhanced scams, supply chain intrusions, etc.), so awareness is critical in 2025.

Common Cyber Threats (2025)

Canadian small businesses face many of the same threats as larger firms, but often with fewer resources to defend against them. The most common cyber threats today include:

• Phishing & Social Engineering: Phishing (fraudulent emails or messages) remains one of the top entry points for attacks. Victims click a malicious link or attachment, unknowingly installing malware or handing over passwords. The Canadian Cyber Centre warns that “phishing is one of the most reported types of fraud in Canada”, and even sophisticated “spear phishing” (targeted emails to executives) leads to major losses (cyber.gc.ca). New tools make phishing easier: criminals can buy Phishing-as-a-Service kits or use AI chatbots to generate convincing emails. For example, fake invoices or shipping notices often trick employees into entering credentials into fake websites. Beware of unexpected attachments, urgent payment requests, or offers that seem too good to be true. Training your team on the “7 signs of phishing” (suspicious sender, poor spelling, odd URLs, etc.) and encouraging them to verify unusual requests can help stop these scams in their tracks.
  
• Ransomware: Ransomware remains the most disruptive cyber threat for organizations. It involves malware that encrypts your files (or locks systems) and demands payment for the decryption key. The Cyber Centre reports that “ransomware is one of the most disruptive forms of cybercrime facing Canada” (cyber.gc.ca) and that attacks “increased in scope, frequency, and complexity” since 2020. In practice, a single click or unpatched vulnerability can let attackers lock up critical data overnight. Businesses end up paying ransoms or spending huge amounts to restore backups and rebuild systems. The London Drugs and Ganong cases above were ransomware incidents. Without good backups, a single attack can shut you down for days or weeks. To mitigate ransomware, maintain offline backups of all data (see below) and apply patches promptly; this way you can restore systems without paying extortionists (getcybersafe.gc.ca).
  
• AI-Driven Deepfakes and Vishing: Artificial intelligence has given criminals powerful new tools. Voice and video cloning can create “deepfakes” that impersonate real people. In a recent Hong Kong case, fraudsters engineered a video conference with an AI-generated CFO and coworkers, convincing an employee that his real finance team was on the call (globalnews.ca). The victim made 15 wire transfers (totaling HK$200 million, about $35M CAD) before realizing the voices were fake. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission now warns that “someone who sounds just like your friend or family member” may actually be a scammer using AI voice-cloning (npr.org). In short, criminals can mimic CEOs, vendors or even a boss’s voice to request fund transfers or confidential info. The lesson: always verify unusual payment requests through a second channel. For example, confirm any large wire transfer by calling the requester at a known number, or use a pre-agreed secret passphrase on calls. As FTC advises, if you feel even slight doubt (or hear a familiar voice asking for money), “hang up and call the person directly to verify their story” (npr.org).
  
• Weak Passwords & Identity Attacks: Password reuse and easy guesses remain a problem. Even without phishing, attackers use credential stuffing (trying stolen passwords on many sites) and brute-force attacks to compromise accounts. For small businesses, a single leaked password can unlock email, bank logins or cloud storage. Canadian guidance stresses using unique passwords for every account, stored in a password manager , and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. This way, even if one password is phished, the attacker still cannot log in without the second factor (text code, app, or security key).
  
• Software & Hardware Vulnerabilities: Unpatched software (like old Windows, Office, or network gear) is a free entry for malware. Cyber-attackers continually exploit known bugs in operating systems or VPNs. If you don’t apply security patches, “cyber criminals can use the vulnerabilities to compromise your device” (getcybersafe.gc.ca). Similarly, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices (cameras, printers, smart thermostats) often have weak or default passwords. Insecure IoT gadgets can provide backdoors to your network. The Get Cyber Safe guide advises checking a device’s security features and privacy (for example, changing default passcodes) before installing anything in the office.
  
• Business Email Compromise (BEC): This is a form of social engineering where scammers hack or spoof a CEO’s email to authorize bogus invoices. Even without AI, fraudsters have long used email spoofing to trick finance staff. Combined with the rise of remote work and cloud email, BEC is a top threat for small businesses. Always verify any email asking for funds or sensitive changes, and don’t rely solely on the appearance of the email header (it can be faked).

The table below summarizes these threats, their impacts, and key DIY protections:

By understanding these evolving cyber threats (2025), Canadian small businesses can prioritize defenses and spot danger early. The key takeaway: attackers exploit human and technical weak spots. Strengthening processes (like verifying requests) is as vital as technical controls.

Practical DIY Cybersecurity Tips

Small businesses can implement many protections now without spending a fortune. These DIY cybersecurity steps will greatly reduce risk:

• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on every account that supports it. MFA requires a second factor (like an app code, SMS code or hardware key) beyond a password. As the Cyber Centre notes, “even if a criminal gets hold of a password, they will not be able to access the account without the additional factor” (getcybersafe.gc.ca). Protect critical logins – email, online banking, cloud services – with MFA.
  
• Use a Password Manager and Strong, Unique Passwords. Never reuse passwords across accounts. Good password managers (e.g. 1Password, Bitwarden) generate and store complex passwords so you don’t have to remember them all. This way, a breach on one site won’t break into others. For example, if someone phishes your Amazon password, a unique password prevents them from also logging into your email.
  
• Regularly Update Software and Enable Automatic Patches. Keep all PCs, servers, and even smartphones updated with the latest security patches. The Get Cyber Safe guide warns that out-of-date software “can have security vulnerabilities” that give attackers a backdoor. Where possible, turn on automatic updates so patching isn’t forgotten. Also update or replace any unsupported (end-of-life) software and hardware.
  
• Maintain Offline Backups of Your Data. Have full backups of all important files, and store at least one backup offline or offsite (not connected to your network). In a ransomware scenario, a clean backup means you can restore your business operations without paying a ransom. Ideally, automate daily backups and periodically test them. For example, use both cloud backup (like Azure/Google with versioning) and an external drive stored in a safe.
  
• Keep Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware Software Active. Make sure every computer and server has reputable anti-virus or endpoint protection installed and kept up-to-date. While not bulletproof, these tools can catch known malware. Also enable firewalls on devices and network routers to block suspicious traffic.
  
• Train Employees and Enforce Security Policies. People are often the weakest link. Conduct a quick training session or share a checklist so employees know to “not open suspicious attachments” and to recognize phishing signs. Establish a simple internet/email usage policy: for instance, employees should only download trusted software and double-check any unusual payment request (e.g. by phoning the sender). Encourage staff to report any odd emails or problems immediately.
  
• Secure Your Network. Change default credentials on your router, and consider segmenting your network (e.g. separate guest Wi-Fi). Use WPA3 or WPA2 Wi-Fi encryption. Disable remote administration on devices if not needed.
  
• Limit Administrator Privileges. Operate daily work accounts with standard user rights, not administrator/root accounts. Only use admin accounts for system changes. This prevents easy install of malware if a normal user account is compromised.
  
• Monitor and Verify Requests. As mentioned, always independently verify requests for money or sensitive actions. For any unusual wire transfer or data change, call the person making the request. Use pre-agreed secret phrases on calls between executives and finance – a simple step our team at Raxxos strongly recommends. In one real case, attackers used an AI-cloned voice of a CEO to fool a CFO into wiring funds. The scheme was only thwarted because the CFO insisted on the secret phrase that the attacker did not know. Practices like these cut off social-engineering attacks at the pass.

These steps are often called “DIY cybersecurity”: measures you can do yourself in-house. By implementing them, you raise your baseline security dramatically. For example, as the Get Cyber Safe guide advises, use complex passwords and MFA, enable automatic updates, and be cautious with downloads (getcybersafe.gc.ca). Each of these actions addresses one of the major vulnerabilities small businesses have.

DIY vs. Managed IT Services

Some small business owners can handle basic security themselves. A DIY cybersecurity approach means the owner or in-house staff buys security software, applies updates, and follows the tips above. This can work for very simple setups, but it has limits: you may lack 24/7 monitoring, expertise on complex threats, or time to keep up with the latest attacks.

For many SMBs, hiring a Managed IT Services provider is worth considering. An MSP brings in specialized knowledge and resources at a predictable cost. Here’s how DIY security compares to professional management:

When to consider hiring an MSP:

• You lack internal IT staff or expertise.
• You need guaranteed uptime and fast response (e.g. ecommerce site, billing systems).
• You want predictable budgeting (pay one flat monthly fee).
• You must comply with regulations or handle sensitive data (healthcare, finance, etc.).
• You prefer to focus on your business while leaving tech details to pros.

For example, Raxxos Technology Inc. is a Surrey, BC managed IT firm that helps local Canadian businesses. We provide 24/7 helpdesk support, proactive security monitoring, network management, cloud services and more (raxxos.com). Our people-first approach (we’re one of Surrey’s top-rated IT support teams) emphasizes clear communication and fast response.

An MSP like Raxxos can set up and manage firewalls, patch servers overnight, train employees on security, and restore backups after an attack – tasks that are hard to do reliably in-house. When Raxxos manages your IT, you benefit from a whole team of experts and tools that many small businesses could not afford on their own.

DIY or MSP? It’s not all-or-nothing. Many small businesses blend both: they follow the basic DIY tips above, and also partner with an MSP for advanced services (security audits, managed antivirus, incident response, etc.). If you start feeling overwhelmed by technology or security demands, it’s a good signal to reach out for professional help.

Raxxos Insight: Voice-Cloning Scams

One emerging threat we’ve seen up-close involves AI voice cloning. A case in point: fraudsters used AI to mimic a CEO’s voice on the phone, instructing a company CFO to send a large payment. The call sounded nearly identical to the real CEO’s voice. In that incident (fortunately caught in time), the CFO paused and asked for a secret code word that only the real CEO would know.

The scammer didn’t know the code, so no money was sent. This example underlines why we always advise executives to use out-of-band verification or “secret phrases” for money transfers. It’s now common advice: even the U.S. FTC warns that a call sounding like a loved one could actually be a cloned voice and urges people to hang up and verify the story (npr.org). For small businesses, setting simple rules (e.g. “I will never authorize a transfer by phone without code X”) can thwart high-tech scams.

Stay Vigilant and Build Resilience

Cyber threats will keep evolving, but taking action now will greatly strengthen your defenses. Remember: investing in cybersecurity is not just about avoiding losses, it’s about protecting your reputation and customer trust. CIRA reports that businesses suffering breaches face lost customers and revenue as a direct fallout. In fact, 50% of customers say they would stop doing business with a breached company (strongdm.com).

Start by implementing the easy wins above (MFA, updates, backups, training). Review your progress annually or whenever major changes happen (new staff, new software). Keep an eye on reputable sources for small-business security guidance – for example, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and GetCyberSafe.ca offer free checklists and updates.

If threats seem daunting, remember that help is available. A managed IT provider can act as your security partner. In Surrey and across the Lower Mainland, Raxxos has helped many local small businesses build cyber hygiene and recover from incidents. Our goal is to make technology understandable and secure so you can run your business with confidence.

In summary: Canadian small businesses cannot afford to ignore cyber threats in 2025. By learning from recent incidents, understanding common threats, and applying basic protections (MFA, updates, backups) along with expert support when needed, you can dramatically reduce your risk. Stay proactive, train your team, and don’t hesitate to seek professional help if a DIY approach is not enough. Cybersecurity is a journey, and taking the first steps now will safeguard your business well into the future.

Sources: Statistics and guidance are drawn from authoritative Canadian and global cybersecurity publications. Wherever possible we’ve linked to original news reports and official guides above to ensure you have the latest, credible information.

The post Cybersecurity Guide for Canadian Small Businesses (2025) appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..

That’s not really how it works.

Let me show you what’s actually happening behind the scenes at Raxxos when you’re home sleeping and we’re watching over your business technology from our office in Cloverdale, Surrey.

What Monitoring Actually Means

Think of it like a really smart security system for your technology. Except instead of watching for burglars, we’re watching for signs that your computers, servers, and network might be getting sick.

Your computer is constantly creating data about how it’s performing. How much memory it’s using, how hot the processor is getting, whether the hard drive is responding normally.

We capture all that data and feed it into monitoring software that knows what normal looks like for your specific setup.

When something starts looking abnormal, the system alerts us immediately. And I mean immediately – usually within minutes of a problem starting.

A Real Example From Last Week in Surrey, BC

Last Saturday at 2:47 AM, our monitoring system detected that one of our Surrey, BC client’s servers was running low on disk space. Not completely full, just getting close.

Most businesses wouldn’t notice this until the following Monday when employees started getting error messages trying to save files. By then, people would be frustrated and potentially losing work.

Instead, our technician got an alert on his phone. He remotely connected to the server from his location, cleaned up some old log files, and scheduled a proper disk cleanup.

The business owner never knew anything happened. His employees came to work Monday morning and everything worked perfectly.

The Types of Things We Watch For

Our monitoring systems track hundreds of different metrics, but here are the big ones that actually matter for your business…

Server Health

• Is the server responding to requests normally?
• Are all the important services running?
• Is memory usage climbing toward dangerous levels?
• Are there any failed login attempts that might indicate someone trying to break in?

Network Performance

• Is internet speed what it should be?
• Are there any devices on the network that shouldn’t be there?
• Is the firewall blocking suspicious traffic?
• Are backups completing successfully every night?

Individual Computer Issues

• Hard drives showing early signs of failure
• Software that’s stopped responding but hasn’t crashed yet
• Security updates that failed to install
• Antivirus software that’s stopped working

The Stuff That Breaks Gradually

This is where monitoring really shines. Most technology problems don’t happen suddenly – they develop slowly over weeks or months.

Your server might start taking 5% longer to respond to requests. Then 10% longer. Then 15%. By the time you notice it’s slow, it’s been degrading for months.

Our monitoring catches that 5% slowdown and alerts us to investigate. Maybe the hard drive is starting to fail. Maybe there’s a memory leak in some software. Maybe the server just needs more RAM because your business has grown.

What Happens When We Get An Alert

Let’s say it’s 3 AM and our monitoring system detects that your email server isn’t responding properly.

The alert goes to our on-call technician’s phone. They get detailed alert that tells them exactly what’s wrong and how urgent it is.

They can usually tell immediately if this is something that needs to be fixed right now or if it can wait until morning. A completely down email server gets fixed immediately. A server that’s running a little slower than normal might get investigated first thing in the morning.

If it needs immediate attention, they connect remotely and start troubleshooting. They have access to all the diagnostic tools and can usually fix the problem without ever coming to your office.

This is different from basic IT support where you have to call and wait for someone to get back to you. Our Langley & Surrey tech support team can address issues immediately, often fixing problems before they affect your business operations.

Most of the time, your email is working normally by the time you check it at 7 AM. You never knew there was a problem.

The Difference Between Monitoring and Checking

Some IT companies will tell you they “monitor” your systems, but what they really mean is they check on things once a week or once a month.

Real monitoring through our Langley & Surrey IT support services is continuous. Our systems check your servers every few minutes around the clock. If something goes wrong at 11:47 PM on a Saturday, we know about it by 11:50 PM.

We also keep historical data going back months. So when something does go wrong, we can see exactly when it started and what might have caused it.

Why This Prevents Bigger Problems

Here’s a story that shows why monitoring matters for Langley businesses…

One of our clients runs a small manufacturing business in the Township of Langley. Their main server handles inventory, order processing, and payroll – basically everything important for their growing operation.

Our monitoring started showing that the server’s main hard drive was developing bad sectors. This wasn’t causing any problems yet, but it was a warning sign that the drive might fail soon.

We scheduled a hard drive replacement for the following weekend. Ordered the new drive, backed up everything, and our technician drove over from Cloverdale to swap it out on Saturday morning.

The old drive completely failed two weeks later. If we hadn’t been monitoring and replaced it proactively, that Langley business might have been down at a critical moment.

Of course they had backups, but not all backups recover immediately – it could have been an hour or two to restore it. And honestly, most IT companies don’t check backups often enough. That’s why we even monitor our backups. Our top -ier backup systems actually simulate a backup recovery every single night! But that’s for another article.

What We Don’t Do

We’re not watching your personal stuff or spying on your employees. The monitoring systems only look at technical performance data.

We can see that someone’s computer is using a lot of memory, but we can’t see what websites they’re visiting or what documents they’re working on.

We can see that your email server processed 347 messages yesterday, but we can’t read any of those messages.

The monitoring is focused entirely on keeping your technology healthy and secure, nothing else.

The Tools We Actually Use

Our monitoring software runs in the cloud. These systems connect to small monitoring agents installed on your computers and servers.

The agents are lightweight – they use less resources than a typical web browser. You’ll never notice them running.

They collect performance data and send it back to our monitoring servers every few minutes. If the internet connection goes down, they store the data locally and send it once connectivity is restored.

We use different monitoring tools for different things. Server monitoring, network monitoring, security monitoring, backup monitoring. Each tool is specialized for what it does best.

The Human Side of Monitoring

Even with all this automation, there’s still a human element. Our technicians review the monitoring data regularly to look for trends and patterns.

Maybe your server CPU usage has been gradually increasing over the past six months. The individual daily increases are too small to trigger alerts, but the overall trend suggests you’ll need more processing power soon – especially important for growing Surrey, BC and Langley, BC businesses that are scaling up their operations.

Or maybe we notice that certain types of network errors happen more often on rainy days. That might indicate a physical cable problem that only shows up when moisture gets into something – not uncommon in our Pacific Northwest climate.

This kind of pattern recognition helps us prevent problems before they become emergencies.

What This Means for Your Langley or Surrey Business

The goal of all this monitoring isn’t to impress you with fancy technology. It’s to keep your business running smoothly whether you’re located in Willoughby, Cloverdale, Newton, or anywhere else in the Fraser Valley.

When your employees come to work in the morning, their computers start up quickly. The network is responsive. Email works. The database is available. Everything just works like it’s supposed to.

You don’t get surprise IT emergencies that shut down your business for half a day. You don’t lose important data because a hard drive failed without warning. You don’t have angry customers because your payment processing system went down during the lunch rush.

The Real Value for Local Businesses

Most businesses in Langley, BC and Surrey, BC think about IT support as something you call when things break. But monitoring flips that around – we fix things before they break.

Your employees stay productive because their technology works reliably. You avoid the stress and cost of emergency repairs. You can plan IT upgrades and maintenance during convenient times instead of dealing with crises.

Since we’re located right in Cloverdale on the Surrey & Langley border, we can respond quickly for any on-site work that might be needed. But most of the time, our remote monitoring and repair capabilities mean problems get solved before you even notice them.

When we tell you that Raxxos provides 24/7 monitoring for your business, we mean that your technology is being watched over by professional tools and experienced technicians around the clock.

While you’re sleeping, we’re making sure you’ll have a good day at work tomorrow.

The post 24/7 Monitoring Explained: What Raxxos Does for Your Business While You Sleep appeared first on Raxxos Technology Inc..