C Suite

Phishing or “ishing” is one of the most comprehensive cyberattacks out there. In a recent global security survey, 22% of organizations saw phishing as their greatest security threat and 59% of all phishing attacks were found to be related to finances. On this episode, we meet Rekeft: a Canadian man who lost $10,000 after receiving a phone call from who he thought was a tax agent. We ask industry expert Steven to explain how Rekeft’s ishing attack happened, and how to detect ishing scams early. We also tap into wellness professional and Senior Vice President of Global Customer Success and Partnerships at Lifeworks, Reem Gedeon to uncover the potential mental health implications of ishing attacks.

Business email compromise is one of the largest cyber threats facing organizations and individuals today. A recent FBI report revealed that business email compromise scams resulted in over $1.8 billion worth of losses to businesses in 2020 alone. On this episode, we meet Des: a management consultant who experienced a business email compromise scam first-hand. He transferred a large sum of money as per his boss’ email request, only to find out the email was not from his boss. How could Des have mitigated this attack? We talk with industry experts like Kelly from TD and Patrick Peterson, CEO and co-founder of email threat prevention firm Agari, to find out how business email compromise works and what companies can do to catch it and prevent it.

Every year, the number of kids online increases. But, as one study found, over 1.5 billion young people are impacted by school closures due to COVID-19. This means there are more kids online today than ever before, and cybercriminals are taking notice. On this episode, we’re asking the two most important questions parents need to know: what are the greatest risks to kids online and how do we mitigate them? To find out, we speak to a focus group of kids ages 11 to 17 to learn what exactly they’re doing online. We also sit down with Cory, a former FBI supervisor, to explore the risks of exploitation and fraud for kids on the internet, and Matt McGowan, Director & General Manager of Snap Inc. Canada, to discover what Snapchat is doing to keep kids safe on their app.

In the past few years, robocalls have reached an all-time high. In 2019 alone, there were almost 60 billion robocalls made in the US. From exclusive vacation deals to claims that you owe the government money, almost everyone has experienced a robocall. But as criminals adopt new techniques, robocalls are becoming more difficult to detect and prevent. On this episode, we meet Sarah and Alison: two young professionals who have been hounded by robocalls for years. Then, we talk to Cheryl, a cybersecurity expert and Dr. Rick Huijbregts, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation and George Brown College, to learn how individuals and institutions can protect themselves from the frustration and risk of robocalls.

Ransomware is one of the world’s most common cybercrimes. In 2021 alone, it’s estimated that ransomware crime will cost $20 billion in global damages. In our second episode, we meet Patti: a 60-something business owner who was targeted by a ransomware attack. She explains how it happened, how she reacted, and how she almost lost a large sum of money in the process. Then, Claudette sits down with ex-intelligence agent, Robert, and CEO of MaRS Discovery District, Yung Wu, to learn how ransomware works and what we can all do to protect ourselves from it. 

On December 8th, 2020, news broke that FireEye, a leading global cybersecurity firm, had been hacked by a foreign entity. Immediately following the release, CEO Kevin Mandia demonstrated a refreshing approach to leading his company through this difficult period - he was forthright and honest about the breach.  

Welcome to the first season of C Suite, a brand new podcast focusing on elevating cyber literacy for everyday people. Join Claudette McGowan, TD Bank’s Global Executive Officer for Cyber Security, as she explores how cyber-attacks happen and what we can do to avoid them. From phishing schemes to robocalls and even huge corporate hacks, on this show, Claudette meets with C Suite leaders to discuss cyber challenges and ways to help people become more protected and resilient.