Cyber threat risk continues to be paramount
It’s reported that Home Depot may be among the latest retailers to be targeted by cyber attackers with customer credit card data at risk. This week NATO leaders are meeting in Wales and will ratify a consolidated approach to cyber attack. Janet Napolitano, US Secretary of Homeland Security has warned of the likelihood of a ‘cyber 9/11’ where a terrorist attack on our computer networks could bring the country to its knees. While each business sector has specific risks the threat of cyber attack and associated issues is almost universal. Nearly every business has a website, or uses online banking, or cloud storage or Internet based services; the list goes on. Insurance company AIG reports a 30 per cent increase in new cyber policy premiums this year, following 25 per cent growth in the two previous years. Although some of this growth will likely be increased premiums, volume is also trending up. Technology firm Blue Coat has revealed research that shows that many Internet hostnames; the actual specific computer’s location rather than a dot com name; disappear within 24 hours. In many cases this is legitimate and is used by firms like Amazon and Google, but in around a quarter of cases it is malicious. The firm says that using these ‘one-day wonders’ is popular with criminals as they are there and then gone before security updates can block them.
Cost of Ontario floods estimated at $90 million
Insurance Bureau of Canada reports that the preliminary estimate for insured damage caused by heavy rains and flooding in the Burlington, Ontario area in early August was just over $90 million, according to Property Claim Services. On August 4, Environment Canada issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings and watches for parts of southern Ontario, including Burlington. During the storm, Burlington received so much rainfall that local highways had to be closed because of flooding in some places, as creeks and rivers throughout the city were inundated and crested at the same time.
Health professionals cause more auto crashes
A survey conducted by an insurance comparison website has found that health workers are more likely than any other profession to cause a motor accident. MoneySupermarket.com found that surgeons and other doctors are more than 100 times more likely to cause an accident than a bank clerk. Nurses, dentists and psychotherapists also feature in the top 10; in fact the only profession in the top 10 that is not health-related is those working in the probation service. The professions least likely to be at fault in a road crash include bank and office clerks, car wash attendants and fun fair employees.
