January 4, 2018, FREDERICTON (GNB) – Cyber Essentials Canada certification, a set of cybersecurity standards and best practices, is now available to all Canadian businesses. They are intended as a cost-effective, user-friendly set of standards and best practices to help mitigate up to 80 per cent of common Internet threats.
Small and medium-sized businesses may obtain certification after adopting these standards.
CyberNB, a special operating agency of Opportunities NB, introduced Cyber Essentials Canada to the country in 2017 after formalizing a relationship with the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance and Cyber Essentials Direct Ltd., a company based in the United Kingdom. The toolset used to obtain certification, The Cyber Highway, is also an important asset for larger enterprises to monitor and protect their supply chain.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises are often the target of cyber criminals because they do not have the same level of human and technical resources as the larger businesses,” said Economic Development Minister Francine Landry, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. “As a result, they are often used as a gateway in a large enterprise’s supply chain to gain access and harm businesses. It is critical that these companies do all they can to protect themselves.”
Bulletproof, based in Fredericton, and Watsec, based in Waterloo, Ont., are the first Cyber Essentials Canada certification bodies. These companies are working with businesses to ensure they are protected and meet the standards.
“The volume and scale of cyber-attacks in recent years should be a concern for businesses of all sizes,” said Scott Smith, director of Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “In Canada, 99.8 per cent of businesses are small and medium-sized, which are typically not equipped to respond to these threats compared to large businesses. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce encourages them to protect themselves against these threats.”
MEDIA CONTACT(S):
Eric Lewis, communications, Opportunities NB, 506-866-6938, eric.lewis@onbcanada.ca.