A recent article featured in every one of Canada’s major newspapers featured a disturbing headline regarding the need for effective cyber security practices:

McDonald’s Canada says job site hacked, 95,000 applicants compromised

The article went on to relate the implications of the hacking: “Hackers who are able to penetrate systems through data breaches will resell personal information for considerable amounts of money. This can lead to identity theft and other illegal activity.”

McDonald’s was obligated to notify every provincial and territorial privacy commissioner as well as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada of the breach. All job applicants affected from March 2014 through March 2017 will be notified by mail or by phone of the incident – an enormous task for any organization.

Finally, McDonald’s shut down the job site and is working to add better security to prevent future attacks. For the time being, applicants must apply in person at local restaurants.

Our Cyber Security Measures

As VP of Finance for LSG, I also look after our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, which contains databases of client and candidate information. The CRM system is not only our most important resource, it also serves as our intellectual property.  Our ongoing existence and success depends on ensuring your privacy.

Whether you are a client or a candidate, you can be assured that your information is well protected. Here are some specific measures we have taken to ensure the safety of our careers pages and our databases:

• We use a very secure programming language
• All accounts are further protected with md5hash with salt – this is techno-speak for “extremely secure”
• Our server is encrypted with SSL, CP Hulk brute forces attack detection and deterrents, as well as antivirus protection and a continually updated firewall
• We operate to a “near military grade” standard

Benefits to LSG Clients and Candidates

It is fair to say that no system can ever be 100% cyber-secure. Hacking into the Lock Search Group system, though, would take substantial efforts in time, hardware and expense.

Confidential Search is the cornerstone of our operations. You can trust Lock to keep it that way.