Cyber critters had better watch out this fall. As the weather turns to a lovely cool, fly and mosquito free harvest season, the federal government’s Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) has expanded its threat intelligence services to Canadian individuals and businesses. Nice way to kick into September, back to school (and work for many) and remind us all that we’re all on the same team.
Although the Canadian Government’s Public Safety Canada (PSC) had put forward an initiative to keep cyber threats in check, the feds have decided to review the measures that protect citizens, businesses and infrastructure from cyber threats. To that end, it has opened a public consultation to encourage experts, academics, business leaders, and provincial, territorial and municipal governments to share their knowledge, reviews and suggestions on a common platform. The main drive behind this initiative is in a nutshell to review the security economics of the Canadian digital present and future and “to capitalize on the opportunities that come with new technologies”.
Vistors to the Government of Canada’s website will find a very well-organized page under the title ‘Consultation on Cyber Security’ and the tag ‘Cyber Security’ which provides a good explanation of the Whys, Whos, Whats, Whens, Wheres, and Hows of the issue.
HOW TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK: Feedback, reviews and suggestions are invited from the 16th of August, 2016 to the 15th of October, 2016. The feedback can be emailed to ps.cybersecurityconsultationconsultationsurlacybersecurite.sp@canada.ca or can be mailed to National Cyber Security Directorate 13th floor, 340 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5K3.
The website also provides a link to a 25-page booklet with background and the four thematic categories, ‘Trends’ (as the booklet calls them) that includes:
- The evolution of the cyber threat – This trend focuses on identifying threats in cyberspace that has matched the growth of digital networks by governments, individuals and businesses. The origins of a cybercrime can be difficult to trace, given its intangible nature, but this category focuses on putting barriers through law enforcement and a joint venture among public sector, private sector and individuals.
- The increasing economic significance of cyber security – The highlight of this trend is safeguarding e-commerce and securing Canada’s economic status in the world market. It brings up critical questions related to new technologies like emerging apps that facilitate online transactions, particularly with SMEs, and to ensure that they are cyber secure.
- Expanding frontiers of cyber security – Determined to maintain agility in its strategies towards cyber security, under this trend Canada seeks reviews and steps on expanding its already prepared blueprint to include new kinds of vulnerabilities. This will be materialized first through a collection of expert advice on information like data, metrics, that can contribute to better understand cyber security threats.
- Canada’s way forward on cyber security – This trends provides experts with three action areas on which the Government of Canada is trying to obtain their opinions and comments: Resilience, Cooperation and Capability, and Cyber Innovation.a) Resilience – This area would focus on the recognition of cyber security standards and providing regular reports on the cyber security health of organizations – basically on prevention and mitigation of cyberattacks.b) Cooperation and Capability – This section encourages cooperation among governments, public and private sectors, and academicians with the aim of training and developing workforce dedicated to cyber security.c) Cyber Innovation – Of course, the name of the area is self-explanatory. Suggestions under this section will include methods to data and analytics strategy to identify cyberattacks. Ideas are invited for collaborative support for projects like quantum computing, 3D printing, and virtual reality, for research and development in cyber security.
Among the many commitments laid out by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was a mandate to Ralph Goodale, Public Services Minister to review all the existing protective measures being taken in collaboration with the ministries of defence, Innovation (formerly Industry Canada), Infrastructure and Communities, Public Services and Procurement and the President of the Treasury Board. Goodale specifically aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises to help them resist cyberattacks. This season’s Public Consultation is certainly an offshoot of this mandate and federal obligation to Canadians.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had their cybercrime resistance strategy updated in 2015 with a five-year plan. With new milestones being worked currently experts and SMEs applaud the effort as “a worthwhile endeavor” supporting the push for public consultation to rally a comprehensive response and a significant improvement of the outdated 2010 cyber security strategy.
But the real superheros this fall are Canadians. As Public Safety Canada points out “(Canadians are) the heaviest Internet users in the world, spending more than 40 hours online per person per month”. “You’re much stronger than you think you are. Trust me”, they said. And somehow, unlike when Donald Trump says that, this somehow rings true.
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