October 2, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario
By investing in cyber security, Canadian businesses are giving themselves a competitive advantage. Effective cyber security limits the direct and indirect impact of cyber attacks on a business, such as financial loss, litigation, and damage to its reputation and critical infrastructure. It not only protects a business but also inspires customer confidence and Canadians' trust.
Today, at the start of Cyber Security Awareness Month, CyberSecure Canada is officially launching a web portal to help organizations obtain cyber certification. Canada's cyber security certification program helps small and medium-sized organizations assess, plan and implement cyber security practices to guard against cyber attacks, protecting their business, their clients and their partners.
By obtaining CyberSecure certification, Canadian organizations will:
- protect their data and cyber activities;
- increase supply chain trust and confidence among suppliers, customers and investors;
- establish valued relationships with their partners and consumers, who will know steps have been taken to mitigate risks; and
- increase their competitive advantage.
Cyber Security Awareness Month is an internationally recognized campaign held each October to inform the public of the importance of cyber security. Led by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), it is focused on helping all Canadians be more secure online by being informed and knowing the simple steps to take to protect themselves, their families, their workplace and their devices.
Cyber security is a challenge for all of Canada, and we need all Canadians to do their part to keep Canada cyber-safe!
Quotes
"With the current COVID-19 crisis, Canadian businesses are relying on technology more than ever. Many businesses had to quickly pivot to remote work and online operations while dealing with a spike in the number of cyber attacks, phishing scams and other security-related issues during the pandemic. The new CyberSecure Canada certification program will help businesses protect themselves from these threats, give Canadians confidence in continuing to work and grow in the digital economy, and reduce the costs of cybercrime."
- The Honorable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry
Quick facts
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CSE's Cyber Centre continues to deliver world-class dynamic defence of Canadian government networks, routinely protecting federal systems from almost 2 billion malicious actions every day.
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The CyberSecure Canada program, announced in Budget 2018, launched the pilot phase in August 2019. The aim of the program is to encourage small and medium-sized organizations to improve their cyber security by implementing a baseline set of security requirements and completing a certification process through a third party accredited certification body.
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The Cyber Security Review called for the Government of Canada to back a standard for cyber security, as outlined in the National Cyber Security Strategy.
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Canada's Digital Charter, launched in spring 2019, is a result of the National Digital and Data Consultations with Canadians. The CyberSecure Canada program supports the Charter's "Safety and Security" principle: Canadians will be able to rely on the integrity, authenticity and security of the services they use and should feel safe online.
