In just a few months, three major brands across very different industries have fallen victim to disruptive cyber incidents.
- United Natural Foods (UNFI) – The distributor behind Whole Foods and thousands of grocery stores across North America had to shut down its ordering systems after detecting unauthorized access. Shelves went empty, logistics unraveled, and losses are now estimated in the hundreds of millions.
- Aflac Insurance – Attackers used social engineering to breach the insurer’s U.S. network. The breach, contained within hours, still exposed Social Security numbers, health claims, and personal data, impacting millions and shaking confidence across the insurance sector.
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) – A cyber incident forced the automaker to shut down global IT systems, halting production lines and disrupting dealerships during one of their busiest sales seasons. While no customer data was reported stolen, the operational damage was massive.
The Lesson for Canadian Businesses
These attacks may have hit billion-dollar companies, but the risks they highlight are the same for small and midsized businesses across Canada. The difference is scale. Large enterprises have the resources to recover, but small and mid-sized businesses often don’t.
For a Canadian engineering firm, a professional services office, or a local distributor, even a short outage can stop projects cold, frustrate clients, and drain cash flow. And with leaner teams and tighter margins, recovery takes longer and costs more.
Sure Systems’ Advice: Building Everyday Resilience
Staying safe isn’t just about buying tools, but about building habits and planning ahead. Here’s where to start:
- Know your single points of failure – Which system, app, or partner could halt your business if it went down?
- Practice recovery in advance – Don’t wait for an attack. Test your backups, run a tabletop exercise, and walk your team through what to do.
- Strengthen the human layer – Most attacks start with phishing or social engineering. Train your staff so they’re confident spotting red flags.
- Keep fallback options ready – Simple, offline workarounds like paper logs or alternate vendors can keep operations moving if systems fail.
- Plan for communication – During disruption, clear updates, internally and with clients, protect your reputation as much as your data.
How Ready Are You?
UNFI, Aflac, and Jaguar Land Rover all had teams and resources to recover. Most small businesses don’t. Active planning matters more than ever.
Book a Cyber Resilience Review with Sure Systems today.
We’ll uncover weak spots, stress-test your recovery plan, and give your team the confidence to face whatever comes next.