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Email this4:55 pm
January 12, 2019
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.
But this time, it appears to be a 'precautionary' measure ... or at least, that's what they're saying.
Today's CBC News Article ➡ https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cra-takes-down-online-services-amid-cybersecurity-threat-1.5703807
Time will tell,
-
Dean
" Live Long, Healthy ... And Prosper! "
6:57 pm
October 21, 2013
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It is for reasons like this that I keep all CRA submissions and Notice of Assessment indefinitely, in paper format.
7:17 pm
October 27, 2013
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I have them as PDF on my computer, not paper. I have virtually no paper files any more.
9:24 pm
October 21, 2013
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AltaRed said
I have them as PDF on my computer, not paper. I have virtually no paper files any more.
Yes, I'm sure you do. I'm not a believer in the stable future of the paperless world, although it's good for backup. I don't want anything important to be left to technology.
9:36 pm
October 27, 2013
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Electronic files are most likely safer for record keeping than paper. One's backup copy in the cloud will always survive a house fire or a overland flood or a Vancouver earthquake.
Imagine all those paper records that would/could have been lost in wildfires this past year, or Fort McMurray a few years back, or Abbotsford last month.
10:07 am
January 12, 2019
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AltaRed said
I have them as PDF on my computer, not paper. I have virtually no paper files any more.
- This ⬆
Paper is just so 'Yesterday' 
And for added safety & security, I Don't store my financial records (PDF files) on a computer. I keep them all stored as secured, encrypted files on two different USB Flash Drives ... one is well hidden away in our home, and the other is safely stored off premises.
You can't be too careful these days ❗
- Dean
" Live Long, Healthy ... And Prosper! "
10:56 pm
April 6, 2013
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The issue is probably the recently found Apache Log4j vulnerability:
PC Magazine: Countless Servers Are Vulnerable to Apache Log4j Zero-Day Exploit
4:51 am
March 30, 2017
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Loonie said
Yes, I'm sure you do. I'm not a believer in the stable future of the paperless world, although it's good for backup. I don't want anything important to be left to technology.
The majority part of the world think the opposite and paperless IS the way to go. That trend has started 20 years ago and its moving forward not backward. Remember once upon a time, your doctor's office has cabinets and cabinets of patients' file.
There is nothing wrong with paperless, you just need 2 digital copies so there is 1 backup somewhere. Much more stable and secure than 1 paper copy.
Without paper, it makes those spy movie less interesting as the spy does not need to sneak into an office to steal the paper anymore 🙂
7:04 am
October 21, 2013
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Yes, I'm aware that mine is a minority opinion. I have pared down the paper somewhat, but it seems to me the most important documents in life still require paper proof.
Yes, medicine has gone paperless and may regret this when they get colossally hacked, but law hasn't. Lawyers have vaults full of paper. Medical records only have to be kept for 20 years (or did when I was more knowledgeable about that), but many legal docs are kept forever.
Paper is not foolproof, can get damaged lost or burned, but, then, so can electronics. Paper has endured for hundreds of years, and there are even scraps of paper equivalents around going back much further. Computers have not proven their durability, are subject to hacking and power disruptions, require ongoing financial investments and maintenance to be accessible, and can get permanently lost behind passwords known only to the deceased (who may have changed them since they last recorded them in secret place or shared them with most trusted person etc - dementia can play havoc). I am grateful that my centenarian mother has never used a computer.
So, for me, the best policy is to use both paper and some computer.
8:53 am
September 11, 2013
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You get to a certain age and you don't really care what the rest of the world is doing, what's deemed "yesterday", you do what suits you. Having said that, I've reduced my paper massively, I feel comfortable between my USB drives and the banks, brokers, etc that keep my statements accessible to me online for years. And when our civilization gets to the point that the power grid goes dark (I wouldn't doubt that paper will outlive electricity) if I'm still around I'll have bigger problems than looking for my records.
Off-premises USB drive - you have to go get it every time you update a file?
No reason to keep most CRA-related records forever, they say 6 years and you can toss them, and they virtually never reassess over a couple of years back. But you do have to selectively retain CRA or other related documents (e.g. ACB of assets purchased, elections filed, etc) that might be needed to support amounts on future returns.
My Dad kept every document, utility bills, etc since 1960 and when I emptied his filing cabinets I just did a mass dump. Hope nothing important/valuable was amidst all that paper!
9:58 am
January 12, 2019
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Dean said
. . .
And for added safety & security, I Don't store my financial records (PDF files) on a computer. I keep them all stored as secured, encrypted files on two different USB Flash Drives ... one is well hidden away in our home, and the other is safely stored off premises.
. . .
Bill said
. . .
Off-premises USB drive - you have to go get it every time you update a file?
. . .
For critical info (FI names, acct #'s, passwords, security question answers, account details, etc.), 'Yes' ... but they usually only need to be changed/updated on the encrypted USB Flash Drives, two or three times a year.
For daily records with no critical info, 'No' ... I just keep them in a very basic, unidentifiable form on my computer and backed up on a USB Flash Drive.
This simple, yet secure system has worked for me for a number of years
now ... and it lets me sleep at night. 
- Dean
" Live Long, Healthy ... And Prosper! "
10:28 am
April 14, 2021
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Loonie said
Yes, medicine has gone paperless and may regret this when they get colossally hacked, but law hasn't.
Already happening, with the multitude of ransomware attacks.
Loonie said
Computers have not proven their durability, are subject to hacking and power disruptions, require ongoing financial investments and maintenance to be accessible
Not to mention the changes in computers and storage media. i.e. 5 1/4" floppies ==> 3 1/2" floppy ==> DVD ==> USB, etc.
1:46 pm
March 30, 2017
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Bill said
And when our civilization gets to the point that the power grid goes dark (I wouldn't doubt that paper will outlive electricity) if I'm still around I'll have bigger problems than looking for my records.
haha exactly. One may still have a bank book (that sounds so ancient) to prove how many zeros one has in the bank account, but the bank's official record went dark with the grid permanently. Does one seriously think the bank book means anything ?
Some that never trust the stock market and said let see what happens when all stocks go to zero cuz its not physical / real what the word was used. My response is always when all stocks go to zero, money definitely not my biggest concern.
3:48 pm
October 27, 2013
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HermanH said
Not to mention the changes in computers and storage media. i.e. 5 1/4" floppies ==> 3 1/2" floppy ==> DVD ==> USB, etc.
What one physically has for electronics is not nearly as important as the ability to retrieve and read PDF documents from the cloud. Not once do I need to worry about the security or presence of my data. A copy in each of Dropbox and One Drive has it covered.
Dozens of software packages read PDF.
5:10 pm
November 18, 2017
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I carefully maintain the ability to read and write every data format and medium I have ever used - but Paper is behind it all.
RetirEd
RetirEd
5:26 pm
July 5, 2019
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I find it interesting that cryptos can have paper wallets. Sure there are pros and cons but it is an option.
8:07 pm
April 6, 2013
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CRA was not hacked.
A serious vulnerability was discovered in some Apache web server software they may be using. Public access was turned off as a precaution while they had a closer look at their systems.
3:55 am
February 27, 2018
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Norman1 said
CRA was not hacked.A serious vulnerability was discovered in some Apache web server software they may be using. Public access was turned off as a precaution while they had a closer look at their systems.
So... our cra servers were taken offline "before" we were hacked, same difference. The cra has issues every year with their online services. Is the IRS offline? Canada as a country excel in doing everything, pathetically.
I know there's an ultimate game plan that I'm not aware of, but as far as i can see... canada as a country needs to hit RESET. From rewriting ALL of our existing laws, to forming a real government. We've had too many years of this dog and pony show.
6:23 am
January 9, 2011
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From what I have read so far, it seems this was not a CRA/government failure, its widespread Chinese hacking and lots of sites worldwide have either been taken down, exploited, or are in the process of. A huge problem. Based on what I'm reading, CRA may be one of the few smart ones this time around.
" It wouldn't take much for me to up and run, to another life somewhere in the sun. " - Kenny Chesney
7:37 am
March 30, 2017
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It sounds like CRA observed unusual activities on their web site, took it down before the hackers were able to get through the firewall.
Yeah when in doubt, shut it down, check ur system to make sure nothing was compromised. Not the most efficient approach but works I guess.
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