Summer fragments normal routines — staff are on vacation, coverage is thinner, and people work in short, distracted bursts. Attackers send routine-looking messages timed for those busy moments, when people are more likely to act quickly than to scrutinize. The threat level doesn't change; the number of openings does.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA). Even if an attacker steals a password through a phishing page, MFA blocks the login because they don't have the second factor. Paired with unique passwords for every account, it stops most automated account takeovers. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends MFA as a baseline control for all organizations.

Act fast to contain it: disconnect the affected device from the network, change the password on the compromised account, sign out of all active sessions, and confirm MFA is on. Then check the mailbox for unauthorized forwarding rules, and notify your IT provider so they can investigate whether access spread further. Speed matters — the goal is to shrink what the attacker can reach.

Not on its own. Antivirus catches known malicious files, but most phishing relies on tricking a person into entering credentials or approving a request — there's no "virus" to detect. Protection comes from layered controls: MFA, email filtering, unique passwords, staff awareness, and limiting account access.

Cairitech, an Aurora, Ontario managed IT provider serving the Greater Toronto Area, sets up the guardrails that contain mistakes: MFA, password management, email filtering, and ongoing phishing-simulation training. For architecture, engineering, and construction firms, we add protections around invoicing and payment workflows where wire-fraud risk is highest.