Ransomware Hits Canadian Organizations at More Than Twice the Global Rate

Over the past six months, Check Point Research found that organizations in Canada experienced an average of 1,664 cyberattacks per week. At the same time, ransomware affected 18.2% of Canadian organizations, more than double the 9.0% global average.

The data points to a threat landscape where attackers are increasing pressure across industries, exploiting vulnerabilities, and continuing to use the web as a primary delivery channel.

Key Findings from Check Point’s Canada Threat Intelligence Report

  • Attack volumes are rising: Canadian organizations averaged 1,664 weekly attacks over the past six months, reaching 2,196 in late August
  • Consumer-facing sectors are heavily targeted: Consumer Goods & Services faced the highest attack volume in the last month, averaging approximately 3,565 weekly attacks per organization
  • Web-based delivery dominates: Nearly 60% of malicious files in Canada were delivered via the web in the last 30 days
  • Information disclosure is the top exploit type: It impacted approximately 68% of Canadian organizations

Ransomware remains a major concern

Ransomware is one of the clearest areas where Canada exceeds the global average. Over the past six months, ransomware impacted 18.2% of Canadian organizations, versus 9.0% worldwide. Activity peaked at 27.3% in late July, highlighting the sustained pressure on organizations across the country.

Canada was also the fourth most affected geography by ransomware activity in the last 30 days.

Web-based threats remain a key entry point

Approximately 59.7% of malicious files targeting Canadian organizations were delivered via the web, compared with 40.3% through email.

PDFs were the most common malicious file type across both channels, accounting for approximately 44.7% of malicious web files and 40.7% of malicious email files in Canada.

This reinforces the need for organizations to protect users across browsers, email, SaaS applications and other digital workspaces.

Vulnerabilities continue to expose organizations

Information disclosure emerged as the most common vulnerability exploit type in Canada, affecting approximately 68% of organizations. Remote code execution followed at 63%, while authentication bypass impacted 53%.

These findings reinforce a critical reality: visibility alone does not reduce cyber risk. As attackers increasingly move at machine speed, identifying vulnerabilities is only the first step. Organizations need a continuous approach to exposure management that prioritizes weaknesses based on real-world risk and moves quickly from insight to remediation. By reducing exploitable exposure before attackers can act, security teams can shrink the window of opportunity and shift from reacting to threats to preventing them.

Making Sense of the Data

Taken together, the findings point to a Canadian threat landscape defined by multiple forms of pressure at once. Ransomware is affecting Canadian organizations at more than twice the global rate, malicious files are reaching users predominantly through the web, and attackers continue to exploit vulnerabilities that can expose sensitive information or provide deeper access to systems.

The priority is to eliminate those entry points and prevent attacks before they interrupt the business.”, says Robert Falzon, Head of Engineering at Check Point Software Canada.

Strengthening Cyber Resilience

For Canadian organizations, the findings highlight three priorities for strengthening cyber resilience.

  1. Focus remediation on the exposures that pose the greatest real-world risk. Rather than treating every vulnerability equally, organizations should use exploitability, active threat intelligence and existing security controls to determine which exposures require the most urgent action.
  2. Protect the entire digital workspace. With nearly 60% of malicious files targeting Canadian organizations delivered through the web, security strategies need to extend beyond email to browsers, SaaS applications, endpoints and the other environments employees use every day.
  3. Strengthen ransomware defenses around prevention and rapid containment. Organizations need controls that can stop attacks before they gain a foothold while also limiting an attacker’s ability to move through the environment if an initial compromise occurs.

As attacks increasingly move at machine speed, cyber resilience will depend on how quickly organizations can move from identifying risk to reducing it. The goal is not simply to see more threats, but to act on the exposures that matter most and prevent attacks before they can disrupt the business.


For the latest research and analysis, visit Check Point Research.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from The IT Nerd

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading