OTTAWA,
ON, May 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Over the last few
decades, public institutions and governments across Canada have become more and more reliant on
the digital world to deliver programs and services. While providing
faster and higher quality service delivery, reliance on information
technologies means that the Government of Canada, like every other public and private
sector organization in the world, is subject to ongoing and
persistent cyber threats.
While there are already effective safeguards and procedures in
place, there is a need to continuously strengthen them to detect,
disrupt, and prevent cyber threats and to ensure the protection of
government information and assets.
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury
Board of Canada (TBS) released the
Government of Canada's first
Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy. The strategy is supported by
Budget 2024's investment of $11.1 million over 5 years to support its
implementation.
The strategy outlines a proactive, whole-of-government approach
to ensure that the Government can quickly and effectively combat
cyber threats and address vulnerabilities across the government's
digital estate. The strategy aims to help safeguard government
systems, protect Canadians' information and strengthen the
resilience of digital government to ensure the continued delivery
of secure and reliable digital services. To achieve this, the
strategy has outlined 4 main objectives:
- Articulate cyber security risks and their impacts
- Prevent and resist cyber attacks more effectively
- Strengthen capabilities and resilience across the government to
proactively prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber security
events
- Attract a diverse Government workforce with the right cyber
security skills and knowledge
The immediate implementation of the strategic goals will begin
with the first phase to support:
- Establishing a centralized evaluation system with independent
assessments and thorough reviews of departments' cybersecurity to
identify and prioritize risks.
- Creating a federated integrated risk management platform to
enable prioritization and data-driven reporting as a key part of a
broader enterprise portfolio management system.
- Creating a government-wide vulnerability management program for
a coordinated vulnerability disclosure process and will focus on
people, processes, policies, and technology.
- Forming a new Purple Team that will emulate techniques
used by malicious threat actors against government systems to
proactively test and audit any security gaps.
TBS will continue to work with its partners, including Shared
Services Canada and the Communications Security Establishment to
effectively respond to and recover from cyber events in a timely
manner and maintain the continuous delivery of Government programs
and services for Canadians.
Quotes
"In a world when going digital is more and more our reality, we
must ensure that our systems remain secure from cyber threats and
deliver the highest quality of programs and services to Canadians.
To achieve this, we are announcing the first of its kind GC
Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy to help us manage risk, prevent
cyber attacks, strengthen our resilience, and cultivate a strong
cyber security culture. Together, with our partners we will work to
support a robust and modern digital infrastructure while ensuring
our workforce has the talent and knowledge to foster cyber
security."
- The
Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board
"The Government of Canada needs
to act quickly and effectively to combat cyber threats and protect
Canadians' information. In an increasingly online world, this new
Cyber Security Strategy provides clear guidance that will help us
prevent cyber attacks and respond to and recover from them when
they happen. Through this strategy, we are making our systems more
resilient and keeping Canadians' information safe."
- The
Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
"As the cyber security risk landscape evolves, we need to keep
pace with new threats and challenges by working across government
organizations with coherent and effective actions. The GC
Enterprise Cyber Strategy will deliver modern, secure, and
accessible digital tools and government services that better
protect Canadians."
- The
Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and
Procurement
Quick Facts
- Government of Canada's cyber
defense tools include the Cyber Security Event Management Plan
tabletop exercises and government website security monitoring.
- The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Communications
Security Establishment and Shared Services Canada work
collaboratively to protect the Government of Canada from cyber threats.
- The Key Performance Indicators to be reported on are available
in Appendix A of the strategy.
- Further actions include SSC's enterprise-wide initiatives to
strengthen cyber security protections for Government of Canada IT
systems and infrastructure.
Related Products
- Digital Ambition
- Government of Canada Cyber Security Event Management Plan
- National Cyber Strategy
- GC Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy Backgrounder
Stay connected
Twitter: @TBS_Canada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBSCanada
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbs-sct/
SOURCE Government of Canada