The Association patronale des entreprises en construction du Québec (APECQ) was the target of a data breach in late October, and several sensitive pieces of information about employees and customers having a new home built were shared on the line.

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After Desjardins, Collège Montmorency, Westjet, U-Haul and Bell Technical Solutions, it is APECQ’s turn to become a target for hackers.

In fact, more than 230,000 files were stolen from a group of 700 contractors, mostly engaged in residential construction.

Our investigative office determined that the contents of these files were now available on the dark weba platform often used for malicious purposes.

“I will instruct our IT team to assess the extent of the situation,” said Daniel Bédard, director general of APECQ, who initially did not believe the leak existed.

Social Security and Credit Cards

Due to the large number of stolen documents, it is currently difficult to estimate the number of victims.

Among the most sensitive data we were able to consult were employees’ tax returns (T1 and T4), which contained several pieces of personal information, including social security numbers.

We also observed lists of names from clients who had a home built, including their phone numbers and email addresses.

There is also information on contractors, test reports, warranty contracts, work accident reports, works tenders and guarantees.

During our conversation with Mr. Bédard, we informed him that all information regarding the credit card he uses for APECQ spending is currently in circulation.

The file in question allows reading the card number, username, expiry date and security code on the back of the card.

Excel files accompany the details of many transactions on the card, which could allow a fraudster to answer security questions commonly asked by financial institutions.

prevention

Mr. Bédard claims to have invested more than $37,000 in computer security since the beginning of the year, five times more than in 2015.

“I’m stunned that I put in so much effort and that this is happening to us too,” he laments.

APECQ is the smallest of Quebec’s three main contractor associations. It works in a similar way to the ACQ and APCHQ, specifically by helping entrepreneurs start and run their business.

It works with the Guarantee Habitation des Maîtres Batisseurs Inc., which benefits buyers of new homes and of which several documents were found in the data leak.

– With the collaboration of Philippe Langlois

You have information about a personal data leak or you are a user of the dark web? Contact me confidentially at marc.sandreschi@quebecormedia.com or at 514-212-3937.