By Tommy Osborne

Cyber Security

Cariboo Regional District Library among recent victims of cyber crime spree

May 9, 2024 | 5:03 PM

QUESNEL – Cyber crime has picked up recently, with the most prominent attack causing London Drugs to temporarily shut down. However, its not the only victim, as the Cariboo Regional District Library in Quesnel was also a victim of a recent attack that saw some users’ cell phone numbers and email addresses obtained by a hacker. While a leak of any kind is never ideal, the B.C. Libraries Cooperative calls the data obtained “minimal.”

“Only those two things were leaked. Main names were not attached to it, the information about checkouts were not attached to it. The location of these patrons were also not part of that leaked information,” said Cariboo Regional District Manager of Library Services Anton Dounts.

The Library’s security is run by a third party company, and Dounts explained cyber security has been tightened following the attack, and the hacker no longer has access to the servers. The library itself is protecting its users by warning of potential phishing scams that could come as a result. While a criminal can’t do anything too nefarious with just a cell number or email, the danger of getting scammed is still there.

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“We have also taken the route of notifying the patrons via website and press release, letting people know that this did indeed happen and what to watch out for in the future, particularly when it comes to potential hackers contacting people via phishing tactics,” Dounts said.

With the library now focused on educating and informing its users of potential dangers, Beauceron Security, a cyber security company, says knowing how cyber criminals attack is key.

“The most important myth that we need to dispel about phishing is that it’s about intelligence. It’s not. It’s about being human. Phishing takes advantage of our very emotional nature and some fundamental elements of neuroscience,” said Beauceron Security CEO and Co-Founder David Shipley.

Shipley went on to explain that cyber criminals will attempt to trigger an emotional response, which on a neuroscience level could short circuit the neocortex, the part of the brain that’s responsible for logic and higher level thought.

“The challenge with phishing is being able to use things like mindfulness or emotional intelligence to actually stop and pause when something is really emotional with you, that’s when you slow down, stop, pause, think, take a breath and allow the neocortex to actually process,” Shipley said.

When thinking of phishing or scams one may think of the obvious ones like the infamous “Nigerian Prince wants to wire you money” scam, but Shipley says cyber attacks have come a long way since then. One key aspect is building a personal relationship with the victim, and Shipley warns that you may not even be aware you’re speaking with a criminal.

“I’m currently engaged in an experiment with one scammer and we’re into week three. I’ve created a fictitious personality, I’ve used AI to create some fun selfies, and we’re learning lots about when and where they’re going to pull the trigger on me. It takes time, but when they do, they hurt people for a lot of money,” Shipley said.

On the topic of more obvious scams like the Nigerian Prince scam, Shipley said even these have a success rate of between 2-10%, as millions of messages are sent out almost every minute. However, in general Shipley says cyber crime is growing increasingly sophisticated.

“The things that we’re seeing a lot of is criminals hacking into a valid part of your business or life, hijacking an existing conversation that happened in the past, and then doing a quick update. And the reason they do that is a couple things: one, it allows the emails to get by your email filters, it came from someone that you’ve seen before, it looks legitimate. Number two, it takes that air of legitimacy from a past conversation and your brain is wired to give certain things credibility by seeing more information and seeing similarities,” he said.

To protect yourself from cyber crime, Shipley says staying educated and vigilant, and always thinking twice before clicking a link, are among the best things you can do.

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