EDITORIAL

Cybersecurity worries?

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security may help.

As almost everything in our day-today lives is done online these days, and cybersecurity is something that is top of mind for many in the manufacturing space. In this issue, we look at various aspects of cybersecurity.

Did you know there is a Canadian Centre for Cyber Security? It provides a plethora of resources, including a list of alerts and advisories for any potential cyber threats, incidents, or vulnerabilities. The majority are security advisories from software companies about potential vulnerabilities within their software, and the corresponding software security updates to fix them. The list is constantly updated, with the advisories going all back to 2016.

The Centre also publishes reports and assessments, one of which was the National Cyber Treat Assessment 2020, whose executive summary found that the number of cyber threat actors was rising and they’re becoming more sophisticated; cybercrime is a threat that is most likely to affect Canadian companies; ransomware attacks will be continuing to target large enterprise and infrastructure providers; and more.

Other reports/bulletins available include Cyber threats to Canada’s democratic process; Cyber Threat Bulletin: Modern Ransomware and Its Evolution; Cyber Threat Bulletin: The Continued Impact of COVID-19 on Cyber Threat Activity, and many more.

The Centre also provides guidance within its publications that offers advice on how to be cyber safe. One article focuses on asking if the reader has been a victim of cybercrime, and how to identify, report, and mitigate being a victim of cybercrime. Other articles focus on securing devices, computers and networks, and even on shopping safely online.

Another great resource the Centre provides is its infographic section which gives tips on how to protect yourself against cybercrimes. The infographic COVID-19 Cyber Security for Small and Medium Organizations outlines best practices to stay secure.

The best practices list in the infographic includes:

• Have an incident response plan • Patch operating systems and applica-

tions automatically

• Enable security software • Configure devices securely • Use strong user authentication • Provide employee training • Back up and encrypt data • Secure mobility • Establish perimeter defences • Secure cloud and outsourced IT services • Secure websites • Have access control and authorization • Secure portable media

The Centre also provides videos, tools, services, a place to report a cyber incident, and a learning hub.

For those interested the Centre’s web site can be found at: https://cyber.gc.ca/en/.

Supplement your knowledge on cybercrime and how to protect you and your business.

Plant has a selection of features in this issue to help. They include: Protect productivity through cybersecurity; Watch out for curiosity that could destroy your business; ‘Cyber-securing’ your plant; and Why investing in online training is not enough to avoid a cyberthreat.

Be sure to stay cybersafe.

MARIO CYWINSKI, EDITOR Comments? E-mail mcywinski@annexbusinessmedia.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 • Volume 79, Number 6

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