CRTC Launches Consultation to Seek Canadian Feedback On Addressing Botnet-Facilitated Cyber Attacks

On January 13, 2021, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launched a consultation to seek feedback from Canadians on developing a framework to address botnet activity within Canadian networks.

Botnets are networks of malware-infected computers that are controlled by a bad actor. They may be used to facilitate harmful cyber attacks on Canadians and organizations that provide critical services, such as hospitals, schools and government bodies. These attacks include spam distribution, distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), information theft and ransomware.

Under the Telecommunications Act and Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, the CRTC has the authority to address malicious activity facilitated by botnets and ensure compliance with provisions relating to common botnet-associated attacks. The CRTC believes that a network-level blocking framework may be a viable strategy to address the issues with botnets. Accordingly, it is seeking Canadian feedback on the appropriateness and need for telecommunications service providers to implement blocking measures in their networks.

If you would like to provide feedback, then submit your comments by March 15, 2021 through one of the following methods:

• filling out the online form;
• writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A ON2; or
• sending a fax to 819-994-0218.

Summary By: Imtiaz Karamat