Canada’s Cyber Security Policy

Vic Toews, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, has announced that Canada will implement measures to increase cyber security on its digital infrastructure. Because Canadians, including the Government, rely so heavily on the Internet for critical functions such as banking and transferring military instructions, the increased number of attacks on cyber space has prompted the Minister to react with a plan to combat cyber threats. The policy will include such measures as strengthening online government service avenues, financing cyber infrastructure programs from the provinces, disseminating more widely the information needed to protect cyber space and providing greater resources for law enforcement to protect and fight cybercrime. In addition, the Government says it will facilitate partnerships between the private and public infrastructure sectors to tackle cyber security challenges that disrupt both sectors. Public Safety Canada will be the central response centre for assessing and combating cyber attacks on government systems. The Department will have the task of informing Canadians on the latest methods and technologies for their own cyber-protection and will implement campaigns to educate Canadians on common cybercrimes and tactics they can use to protect themselves Notably, the campaigns will ask Canadians to change their passwords frequently, to use only secure wireless networks and to update their antivirus software regularly. For the text of the Minister’s press release and a summary of the policy, visit: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/em/cbr/ccss-scc-eng.aspx Summary by: Cindy Vergara