Canada in top 10 for cybersecurity: ITU report

Canada is a leading country in its commitment to cyber security, according to a new report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Global Cybersecurity Index 2017 report, released Wednesday, listed Canada in the number 10 spot for countries most committed to cybersecurity. Singapore took the top spot, followed by the United States, Malaysia, Oman, Estonia, Mauritius, Australia, Georgia, and France. Canada was among 21 countries that are considered “leading” on cybersecurity in five categories. Those five categories include legal, organizational, technical, capacity building and cooperation. Canada achieved its highest score in the legal category, which the ITU describes as “practices in national cybercrime legislation regarding unauthorized access, data and system interference or interception, and misuse of computer systems.” In particular, the report notes that Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) has several sections relating to cybersecruity. “It requires organizations to notify privacy authorities in the event of privacy breaches that could cause significant damage with penalties for those who fail to report them,” ITU said. The House of Commons ethics committee is currently studying PIPEDA, with discussions including whether to increase the powers of the privacy commissioner to make orders and impose fines. The report also noted other Canadian initiatives, including a three-month public consultation on updating its cybersecurity strategy that began last summer. But a recent Ekos Research report noted that Canadians were actually becoming more lax about security updates. The ITU report also follows a large cyber attack in May that affected at least 150 countries and over 200,000 computers. Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said in a Wednesday press release that “it is vital that cybersecurity is made an integral and indivisible part of the digital transformation. We continue to encourage governments to consider national policies that take into account cybersecurity so that everyone can reap the benefits of the online world.” The U.S. led the continent in the legal and capacity building categories, the latter of which is described as the development of technical and human resources for fighting cybercrime. The survey, which contained 157 questions, was made available online from January to September 2016 and was administered to the 193 ITU member states, with 134 countries responding to the online survey and 59 countries not providing primary data, the report said.

Canada in top 10 for cybersecurity: ITU report

Brief | July 5, 2017

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Canada in top 10 for cybersecurity: ITU report

Brief | July 5, 2017

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