Canada ranks second globally in ransomware attacks: report

Canada now ranks second in the number of incurred global cyberattacks behind only the U.S., according to cybersecurity giant Fortinet.

The company, which has a major presence in Burnaby and other parts of Canada, has published two reports, the 2026 Global Threat Landscape Report and the 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report. In them, Fortinet details how companies are using agentic AI to ramp up their cyberattacks.

In particular, the reports found that 374 organizations were extorted in Canada last year, while the total number of cyberattacks against Canadians rose to 17 billion in 2025, up significantly from 13.7 billion in 2024. Further, Fortinet found that 82 per cent of Canadian organizations dealt with at least one breach in the past year, and nearly 20 per cent of these breaches cost the companies between US$1 to $2 million (around C$1.375 million to $2.75 million).

Throughout all of this, Fortinet observes a shortage in key cybersecurity skills amid Canadian companies, with 47 per cent of IT leaders citing this as a top cause for security breaches. On top of that, 40 per cent report struggles to get approval to recruit more cybersecurity talent. All the while, AI is empowering cybercriminals, with global exploitation attempts rising by over 25 per cent.

Overall, the data highlights some key areas of improvement, and hopefully, companies will take note. Fortinet, for its part, also offers cybersecurity services to many companies and organizations, including the Government of Canada, Interpol, the World Economic Forum, NATO and MIT. More information on the reports and cybersecurity can be found on Fortinet’s website.

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