Canada Announces Fresh Funding to Fight Cybercrime

Canada is investing CAN$142 million to beef up its cybersecurity measures and help private companies ward off attacks, officials said Wednesday, after government websites were hacked last month.

The fresh round of funding the country’s official “Cyber ​​Security Strategy” brings the total investment for the campaign to Can$237 million ($183 million) over five years.

“As long as our digital infrastructure continues to evolve, there will always be those who try to exploit vulnerabilities to undermine Canada’s national security, public safety and economic prosperity,” said Steven Blaney, Canada’s public safety minister.

“Collaboration and information-sharing with critical infrastructure sectors and private sector partners is our best defense to protect our essential cyber systems,” he said.

On June 30, hackers shut down the Canadian intelligence agency’s website, just two weeks after several Canadian government websites were disrupted by the hacker collective Anonymous in protest of a anti-terror law that critics say tramples civil rights.

The Ministry of Public Safety said would work with the private sector to improve cyber security and that the funding would help the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Center to respond to and mitigate cyber incidents in the private sector.

The program will also go toward developing expertise “to detect and disrupt cybercrime activities through dedicated resources and training,” the ministry said, underlining menace of cybercrime.

“The threat of cybercrime is one with serious implications for the security of Canadians and our economy,” it said.