Latest Cyber Incident Update

The Kingston Police, along with partner agencies are continuing to investigate the recent cyber incident that has impacted our organization.

We are nearing completion of our efforts and assessments of the breach which will lead to full restitution of services at the Kingston Police. We are extremely grateful for the expertise and assistance given to us by our partner agencies and the internal work being done by our IT team. 

We continue to provide regular updates to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.  

Over the next few weeks, we have meetings scheduled with partner agencies in order to fully restore services between agencies. 

The Kingston Police is encouraging everyone to educate themselves to protect against cyber incidents. The Canadian Government provides valuable information and resources, as well as a “Get Cyber Safe Checkup”, which can be accessed by visiting www.getcybersafe.ca 

The “Get Cyber Safe Checkup” is a brief quiz that will assess your current cyber security measures as well as provide useful tips and reminders about cyber security.

One of the most common types of cyber scams people fall victim to are ‘phishing scams’ which target victims through their email. Protect yourself against ‘phishing scams’ by being on the lookout for the following ‘phishing red flags’ when checking your emails.

•    Urgent or threatening language
•    Requests for sensitive information
•    Anything too good to be true
•    Unexpected emails
•    Information mismatches
•    Suspicious attachments
•    Unprofessional designs

Look out for things such as incorrect or blurry logos, company emails with little, poor or no formatting as well as 'image-only' emails (no highlightable text)

If you spot any of these red flags in a message:

•    Don’t click any links
•    Don’t reply or forward
•    Don’t open attachments

Delete the email or text, or reach out to the sender through a different channel if you're not sure.