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In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I caught up with Raj Samani, Chief Scientist at Rapid7, to unpack the rapidly evolving world of ransomware. Raj has been on the front lines of cybercrime response for years and has seen firsthand how these attacks have professionalized. Gone are the days of casual ransomware notes asking for a few hundred dollars. Today, these groups operate like fully formed businesses with help desks, R&D teams, and carefully designed extortion models. We talked about how ransomware has become a reputational risk issue more than just a technical one. Raj shared that CEOs are often more concerned about data being exfiltrated and leaked to the press than they are about systems being locked down. It's no longer just about recovering files. It's about trust, public perception, and the long tail of brand damage. One of the most revealing parts of our discussion was how these attacks typically unfold. Raj walked me through real-world scenarios where criminals have remained inside networks for months, even years, before launching their final payload. He also described how careful planning, coordinated strike days, and threat intelligence can disrupt an attacker's kill chain before irreversible damage is done. We explored the uncomfortable truth that many organizations still fall victim to basic attacks because of poor cyber hygiene. While the threat landscape is becoming more sophisticated with the use of zero-day vulnerabilities and social engineering, many breaches still happen through exposed RDP ports or convincing phishing attempts. Raj also offered candid insights into the ethics and complexities of ransomware negotiations, why outright banning payments may backfire, and what companies should do in the first few hours after discovering they've been hit. He made it clear that cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It affects everything from supply chains to public services and daily life. Is your organization prepared for the moment when ransomware moves from IT's concern to the boardroom's crisis?
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Jean-Christophe Jasmin, External Affairs Director at the Quebec Evangelical Network
Hans Friedrich, Financial Advisor at Sun Life and Managing Partner of Evolv Financial Solutions
Daniel Gagnon, a researcher at the ÉPIC Centre of the Montreal Heart Institute and associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Montreal
Max Honigmann, Event producer and spokesperson for MTL 24/24
Audrey Renaud, General Manager of Regroupement Partage Anthony Stephens, Director of Sales for Headster Kids
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Host of the Dr. Joe Show, Sundays at 3 p.m. on CJAD 800 and director of the McGill Office for Science & Society
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Jenn Campbell, lifestyle journalist with Diary of a Social Gal Image: Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, left; and Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File
Political analyst David Heurtel is a counsel at Fasken with experience in Government and Public Relations, Environment, Climate Change and Immigration. He can be heard regularly on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Joe Ortona, President of the Quebec English School Board Association and Chair of the English Montreal School Board
Bilal Sami, co-founder and director of the Canada Walking Soccer Association
Carolina Yanez aka “TRASHY LADY”, Plateau resident who is picking up garbage in her area in order to gather funds for the SPCA
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Tech analyst and journalist Carmi Levy can be heard regularly on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand as well as CTV News.
William McIntosh, diver with Exploring With a Mission
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Sara Eirew, romance book photographer turned cookie store owner
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Hans Deslauriers, professional tattoo artist and painter
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Eric Alper, music historian and publicist
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, host of the Dr. Joe Show, Sundays at 3 p.m. on CJAD 800 and director of the McGill Office for Science & Society
Chris Labos, cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology and frequent contributor on CJAD 800
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
André Durocher, Director of CAA-Quebec Foundation for Road Safety
Chelsea Nash, former Parliament Hill journalist and now owner of the Curious Times Collective in Ottawa
Marianne Dessureault, lawyer and spokesperson for the Association pour la santé publique du Québec
Balarama Holness, human rights advocate, co-founder of Montreal in Action, Mouvement Montréal and Bloc Montreal
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
Nathalie Preddie, Travel journalist and author
Amanda Lang, CTV News Chief Financial Correspondent
Dr. Sara Grimes, Professor at McGill University and expert in children’s digital media culture and children’s rights in the digital environment
Francois Desmarais, Vice President of Trade and Industry Affairs at the Canadian Steel Producers Association
Political commentator James Mennie is a reporter, columnist and editor at the Montreal Gazette. He can be heard weekdays at 4:05 p.m. on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand.
SANS Internet Stormcenter Daily Network/Cyber Security and Information Security Stormcast
DShield Honeypot Log Volume Increase Within the last few months, there has been a dramatic increase in honeypot log volumes and how often these high volumes are seen. This has not just been from Jesse s residential honeypot, which has historically seen higher log volumes, but from all of the honeypots that Jesse runs. https://isc.sans.edu/diary/DShield+Honeypot+Log+Volume+Increase/32100 Google and Microsoft Trusted Them. 2.3 Million Users Installed Them. They Were Malware. Koi Security s investigation of a single verified color picker exposed a coordinated campaign of 18 malicious extensions that infected a massive 2.3 million users across Chrome and Edge. https://blog.koi.security/google-and-microsoft-trusted-them-2-3-million-users-installed-them-they-were-malware-fb4ed4f40ff5 RDP Forensics Comprehensive overview of Windows RDP Forensics https://medium.com/@mathias.fuchs/chasing-ghosts-over-rdp-lateral-movement-in-tiny-bitmaps-328d2babd8ec
Elias Makos is joined by Anthony Koch, former national spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies and Akil Alleyne, reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program on The Big 5. A majority of Canadians no longer feel welcome in the United States, according to a new Léger poll. The survey, conducted in late June, found 53% of Canadians feel unwelcome, with trust in the US government at its lowest since Donald Trump’s first term. Another gambling-related scandal from the world of sports to tell you about. This time it’s from Major League Baseball. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on paid leave as the league investigates a suspicious level of betting surrounding two pitches made by the hurler this season. Montreal woman wins lottery and takes weekly payments over lump sum.
Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, founder & chief equity officer, Women in Governance and Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster on The Big 5. A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warns that the Liberal government’s plan to save $13 billion annually by 2028–29 through “increased efficiency” would amount to a 24% cut in public service spending, mostly targeting non-defence departments. Residents in a Laval neighbourhood are raising concerns over a neighbour whose front yard has become a dumb site. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has reversed its stance and now allows the use of the English word “Go” to cheer for sports teams, although it still prefers “Allez.
Elias Makos is joined by Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy and Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government on The Big 5. Over the past 11 years, more than 17,500 foreigners with criminal records have been cleared to enter Canada. Five years after protestors brought down the statue of John A. Macdonald in Dominion Square/Place du Canada, the city of Montreal has still not begun restoration work on it. The Legault government is launching a pilot project which will last 12 months, allowing stores in Laval, Gatineau and Saint-Georges-de-Beauce to stay open until 8 PM on weekends instead of 5PM.
Elias Makos is joined by Dan Delmar, co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and Caryma Sa’d, lawyer sole practice and Journalist independent / freelancer based in Toronto on a National Edition of the Big 5. Happy Canada Day! This year certainly seems like a special one. Many would say that Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada has sparked a defensive nationalism. Let’s talk trade, shall we? Of course by now we all know that Canada caved to the Trump administration’s demand to ditch the Digital Services Tax on tech giants. Let’s talk trade, shall we? Of course by now we all know that Canada caved to the Trump administration’s demand to ditch the Digital Services Tax on tech giants.
Elias Makos is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor and Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies on The Big 5. Is it a Carney Capitulation or a brilliant 3D-chess move the rest of us will figure out eventually? A Quebec judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against Tim Hortons after the company mistakenly emailed about 500,000 customers in April 2024 claiming they had won a $64,000 boat. A family in Stoneham, Quebec, now eats vegetarian meals a third of the time and saves $30 a week.
Elias Makos is joined by Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies and Political analyst Karim Boulos on The Big 5. Two months after the federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney is enjoying strong support in Quebec, with nearly 60% approval and the Liberals leading at 44% in the polls. A new report from the Montreal Economic Institute warns that Canada’s proposed federal homebuilding agency, Build Canada Homes, could repeat the failures of New Zealand’s KiwiBuild program. Do we swear too much? The week began with an exasperated Donald Trump dropping an F-bomb.
Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program on The Big 5. The front page of Journal de Montréal says it all - Nothing is going right for François Legault. 50% of Quebecers want him to go away according to a new Leger poll. Once again this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney called Canada “the most European of non-European countries.” It’s a line that the PM has repeated before A new Statistics Canada report shows asking rents in Montreal have surged nearly 71% since 2019,
Elias Makos is joined by Paul Gott, lead singer and guitarist for montreal punk rock band The Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Prime Minister Mark Carney is committing that Canada – along with other NATO allies – will invest five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. Advocacy groups are sounding the alarm over Bill C-2, warning it could give police sweeping powers to access Canadians’ personal data without a warrant. A U.S. judge has ruled that an Artificial Intelligence company did not violate the copyright of authors when it used millions of books to train their AI.
Dan Delmar, in for Elias Makos, is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS and Gabriel Retta, a Montrealer active in politics and government service at all three levels for the last 20 years on The Big 5. Montreal is celebrating Fête Nationale today with a full day of festivities. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire yesterday between Israel and Iran. The Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) is calling for Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville to resign.
I open the doors once again for another ask-me-anything episode of the RDP podcast. In this weeks episode, I tackle what makes a good workout routine, why most dietary advice isn't all that effective, and tips to bring your isometric training to a whole new level.R.D.P. Books and equipment resources available at https://www.reddeltaproject.com
Interview with Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/pacific-ridge-exploration-tsxvpex-tapping-into-bcs-copper-gold-amid-global-demand-surge-5754Recording date: 11th June 2025Pacific Ridge Exploration Limited (TSXV:PEX) has undergone a significant strategic transformation, joining the prestigious Fiore Group while pivoting from planned US expansion back to its core British Columbia copper-gold portfolio. Under CEO Blaine Monaghan's leadership, the company now controls 100% of five promising projects in BC's emerging critical minerals landscape.The partnership with the Fiore Group represents a major validation of Pacific Ridge's asset quality, bringing strategic advisors Rob McLeod and Ryan Waymark alongside crucial capital access and M&A expertise. "I think I found most gratifying over this past year where it's been really really hard to access capital in the market and you begin to question and wonder if your projects are as good as you think you are and that was really validation," Monaghan explained.The company's flagship Kliyul project has attracted significant investment, with over $14 million spent and 19,000 meters of drilling completed since 2021. Management targets an inaugural resource estimate of minimum 250 million tons, with recent geophysical surveys suggesting the majority of the system remains untested. Highlight intercepts exceed 300 meters of 0.8% copper equivalent, with mineralization extending to 600 meters depth.Pacific Ridge's RDP project presents exceptional high-grade potential, building on Antofagasta Minerals' discovery of 110 meters grading 1.4% copper equivalent - one of BC's best intervals in 2022. The upcoming $1.5 million drill program will test expansion potential from this discovery, with geological interpretation indicating a steeply dipping pipe system leading to deeper mineralization.The company's tight capital structure of only 19 million shares outstanding provides significant leverage to drilling success, particularly given the high-grade nature of targets in the increasingly active Stikine terrain. With regional momentum building around discoveries like Amarc's nearby Joy project and government support for critical minerals development, Pacific Ridge is positioned to capitalize on both local and global copper market dynamics.View Pacific Ridge Exploration's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/pacific-ridge-explorationSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com
Our security news roundup discusses the compromise of thousands of ASUS routers and the need to perform a full factory reset to remove the malware, why Microsoft allows users to log into Windows via RDP using revoked passwords, and the ongoing risk to US infrastructure from “unexplained communications equipment” being found in Chinese-made electrical equipment... Read more »
Our security news roundup discusses the compromise of thousands of ASUS routers and the need to perform a full factory reset to remove the malware, why Microsoft allows users to log into Windows via RDP using revoked passwords, and the ongoing risk to US infrastructure from “unexplained communications equipment” being found in Chinese-made electrical equipment... Read more »