By Philip Oddi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Vankleek Hill Review
October 6, 2024
The internationally recognized cyber security campaign once again takes place this October.
As it becomes more common for individuals to face cyber security threats due to peoples’ growing access to Internet services, ensuring one’s online security and holding some key knowledge on what to do in case of threats has become a modern safety necessity.
Minister of National Defence Bill Blair stated in 2023 that “Cyber security isn’t just for large enterprises to worry about – it affects everyone and makes Canada’s digital spaces safer.”
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has outlined goals for October including generating security awareness in cyberspace, promoting education among Canadians, and sharing resources to help people understand the risks they face when using online services.
“We strongly caution Canadians to be aware of fraud and scams, as we assess that cybercrime is the most common cyber threat that Canadians will experience in the next two years,” CSE Media Relations and Public Affairs representative Nayeli Sosa told The Review.
According to the CSE’s Get Cyber Safe Awareness Tracking Survey in 2022, Canadians increasingly continue to face cyber threats. In the survey, 1 in 4 Canadians felt that they were not prepared to face cyber threats, namely because they felt one could never really be protected online. Additionally, 1 in 4 Canadians reported having been a victim of a virus, spyware, or malware on their computer.
Sosa elaborated further on the local impacts of cyber security stating, “In a 2024 awareness tracking survey commissioned by Get Cyber Safe, CSE’s national public awareness campaign, it was found that among the 2,222 Canadians surveyed, residents of Quebec were more likely than those living elsewhere in the country to have reported being a victim of an email scam.”
Those more at risk for email scams and phishing—the fraudulent practice of sending messages purporting to be from reputable companies to scam individuals into revealing their personal or financial information—tend to be those 65 and older.
“Cybercriminals have no scruples and target indiscriminately. They look to get money from anyone: from individuals to large corporations and everything in between,” Sosa continued.
Anyone with a cell phone, email address, social media account, or simply browsing the Internet is susceptible to falling victim to a cyber attack. Following basic cyber security etiquette is highly recommended by Sosa and CSE. This includes:
- Patch and accept updates to your software and electronic devices
- Practice good password etiquette; use strong and unique passphrases or passwords
- Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible
- Be on guard for phishing messages
- Store your data securely and know how to back up your information
CSE’s Get Cyber Safe program was initially developed in 2011 and aims to educate the Canadian public about the shared responsibility of cyber security. The annual campaign hosts a variety of tools, resources, advice, and guidance on its website www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/resources.
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Additionally, Get Cyber Safe hosts an online quiz to test individual comprehension of cyber security threats. Results allow users to grade themselves on how cyber-safe they are. The test can be found online using the website www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/resources/research/cyber-fitness-assessment-quiz.