The president of London Drugs is unsure why the company was singled out in a cyber attack that led to the closure of its stores for over a week. He mentioned that hackers with advanced methods are constantly looking for weaknesses in online systems.
Clint Mahlman mentioned that the Richmond-based pharmacy and retailer had anticipated such a scenario for years, and they closed down immediately after discovering the cybersecurity breach on April 28 to contain the threat.
Since then, Mahlman stated that London Drugs has been working with cybersecurity experts to carefully examine every system and bring them back online securely.
Mahlman stated that he has no information on whether the breach might be related to Premier David Eby’s announcement regarding “sophisticated cybersecurity incidents” involving government networks.
He also mentioned that he would not disclose “details of any interactions with the threat actors.”
Mahlman expressed regret that the company couldn't provide more details in the days following the incident, but they want to avoid giving the attackers any advantage.
“The cybersecurity experts encounter these people regularly, and as a result, they can identify specific behaviors from certain threat actors,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
Mahlman said that hackers monitor media reports about cyber attacks to assess whether the company is aware of the extent of the breach and its ability to recover.
“They use that information to either sustain their attack or gain leverage against the company in some way.”
Mahlman stated that London Drugs will not intentionally give hackers that advantage.
“We apologize to the media and our customers for not being able to provide more details, but that's our commitment to the safety and security of our systems and our customers.”
London Drugs announced on Tuesday that all 79 of its stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba had reopened.
Regarding the B.C. government incidents, Eby said provincial authorities were collaborating with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other agencies to determine the extent of the problem, but there was currently no evidence that sensitive information had been compromised.
He mentioned that the investigation was ongoing and additional work was needed to determine what information could have been accessed.
— By Brenna Owen in Vancouver
Related
- B.C. government hit by ’sophisticated cybersecurity incidents’
- London Drugs president apologizes for cyber breach, stating no evidence of customer data being taken
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