Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the start of Cyber Security Awareness Month

October marks the start of Cyber Security Awareness Month (Cyber Month) in Canada. The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE), through its Get Cyber Safe campaign, aims to show Canadians of all ages why cyber security is important to everyone.

While it may feel like cyber security is something only IT professionals need to worry about, it really takes a collective effort to keep Canada safe from cyber threats. Small changes to your habits online can make a big impact when it comes to keeping everyone cyber safe in an increasingly connected cyber ecosystem. As cyber criminals and their tactics grow more sophisticated and make it harder to identify the good from the bad, Cyber Month reminds people from all generations how they can protect themselves and others, too.

Cyber Month is a chance to brush up on fundamentals – like practicing good password etiquette and turning on multi-factor authentication – and to learn about new and evolving threats – like AI-generated phishing messages. There’s something for everyone to learn so that we can all keep Canada safe from cyber threats.

I invite you all to follow along as CSE and Get Cyber Safe share their expertise to help us become a more resilient and knowledgeable country. By working together, we can make Canada a tougher opponent for cyber criminals to target.

The Honourable Bill Blair
Minister of National Defence