According to Canada’s National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025‑2026, our country has entered an “era of cyber vulnerability” where online threats can disrupt everything from hospitals to retailers. The numbers tell an ugly story: Optiv’s Q1 2025 ransomware trends report reveals that 2,314 victims were listed on data‑leak sites in Q1 2025 a staggering 213 % increase compared with the same period in 2024. North America is the most targeted region, and ransomware operators have shifted from LockBit to newer strains such as Cl0p, RansomHub and Akira. Attacks increased across all sectors, with industrials, consumer goods and tech firms hit hardest Canada’s cyber authority warns that ransomware is now the top cybercrime threat to our critical infrastructure.
The Rise of Ransomware‑as‑a‑Service (RaaS)
Much of this surge comes from the professionalization of cybercrime. The NCTA explains that most top ransomware groups now operate on a Ransomware‑as‑a‑Service (RaaS) model Core developers build the malware and lease it to affiliates through cybercrime marketplaces, complete with hosting, financial laundering and communications. This turnkey approach lowers the technical barrier to entry, allowing smaller crews to launch sophisticated campaigns. Analysts expect RaaS operations and double‑extortion techniques encrypting data and threatening to leak it to grow throughout 2025.
Attackers favour tried‑and‑true methods: phishing and social engineering, exploiting unpatched software, and compromising remote access tools. Supply‑chain attacks and initial‑access brokers (IABs) amplify the threat. Even if law enforcement disrupts one gang, affiliates simply migrate to another cartel.
Why Canadian SMBs Are Prime Targets
Many small businesses believe they’re too insignificant to bother. That myth plays right into attackers’ hands. Our July 2025 article on 24/7 monitoring shows that 41 % of breaches targeting small businesses occur outside working hours, and the average dwell time the period an attacker lurks undetected is 204 days. Canadian SMBs are three times more likely to experience a successful attack than enterprises, yet most lack around‑the‑clock security. When criminals strike after midnight, nobody is watching.
Another blind spot is outdated awareness training. Traditional “don’t click bad links” modules give employees a false sense of security. Attackers now spoof local banks, fake government alerts and even craft bilingual scams targeting Canadians. Without contextual, behaviour‑based training, staff will miss the subtle signs of a spear‑phishing email. We dive deeper into this problem in “Is Your Cyber Awareness Training Making You More Vulnerable?”.
And then there’s cyber hygiene. Most breaches still start with basics: a reused password from a leaked database, an unpatched server or an employee who was never trained to spot a phish. Neglecting those fundamentals silently drains money through incident‑response costs, downtime, higher insurance premiums and regulatory fines. Our article “The Hidden Costs of Cyber Hygiene Neglect and How to Stop Bleeding Money” explains the financial impact.
Don’t Pay the Ransom – Fix the Problem
Some victims think paying the ransom is the quickest fix. In reality, it funds the ecosystem and doesn’t guarantee recovery. Criminals increasingly demand extra payments or leak data anyway. Canada’s cyber agency warns that ransomware attacks can immobilize operations, destroy data and jeopardize victims’ physical and emotional wellbeing. High‑profile incidents have hit energy producers, retailers and hospitals, including the 2024 attack on London Drugs and the 2022 breach of SickKids.
Instead of lining criminal pockets, organizations should invest in proactive defence:
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Visibility – Only live behavioural monitoring, not static antivirus, catches fileless malware, insider manipulation and supply‑chain exploits. Our SOC‑as‑a‑Service offers 24/7 detection and response with Canadian‑resident data.
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Hygiene and patch management – Build an asset inventory, enforce multi‑factor authentication, patch regularly and kill orphaned accounts. Our managed services provide continuous vulnerability scanning and patching without disrupting your operations.
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People – Move beyond one‑off training. Our behavioural cyber awareness program uses monthly simulations, real‑time feedback and Canadian case studies to keep staff sharp. By tailoring content to specific industries and regional threats, employees learn to spot subtle signs of phishing.
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Cyber intelligence – Stolen credentials and personal data are traded daily on the dark web. Our intelligence system continuously scans dark‑web markets, identifies leaked information and provides tools to prevent and mitigate corporate information leaks.
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Incident readiness – Develop and rehearse an incident‑response plan. Ensure backups are offline, immutable and tested. Work with partners who understand Canadian regulations like PIPEDA and Québec’s Law 25.
A Call to Action
Ransomware‑as‑a‑Service isn’t a distant threat – it’s a cyber time bomb ticking inside Canada’s digital economy. Attackers are better organized, more opportunistic and armed with AI‑powered tools. But you’re not helpless. By embracing continuous monitoring, disciplined hygiene, targeted training and dark‑web intelligence, you can drastically reduce your risk.
At 010grp, we’re not just observers – we’re defenders. Our mission is to shield Canadian organizations from the ever‑evolving cyber threat landscape, whether through our 24/7 SOC, cyber intelligence platform, identity and access management, or strategic consulting. Don’t wait until your data is splashed across a leak site. Schedule a discovery call today and let’s build a resilient security program that works around the clock – because cybercrime never sleeps.
