The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) has released the Baseline Cyber Threat Assessment on Cybercrime, with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), to inform cyber security professionals and Canadians about the threat to Canada posed by global cybercrime.
In this assessment, the Cyber Centre addresses cybercrime's early history, the development of the most significant cybercrime tactics, techniques and procedures, and the nature of the global cybercrime threat and its implications for Canada.
It also outlines the following key judgements:
- Ransomware is almost certainly the most disruptive form of cybercrime facing Canada because it is pervasive and can have a serious impact on an organization's ability to function.
- Organized cybercrime will very likely pose a threat to Canada's national security and economic prosperity over the next two years.
- Financially motivated cybercriminals will almost certainly continue to target high-value organizations in critical infrastructure sectors in Canada and around the world over the next two years.
- Russia and, to a lesser extent, Iran very likely act as cybercrime safe havens from which cybercriminals based within their borders can operate against Western targets.
- Russian intelligence services and law enforcement almost certainly maintain relationships with cybercriminals and allow them to operate with near impunity. They do so as long as cybercriminals focus their attacks against targets outside of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Cyber Centre is committed to working in close collaboration with its partners in government, critical infrastructure, Canadian businesses and beyond to raise awareness of and defend against cyber threats to Canada.
About the Cyber Centre
Part of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Cyber Centre is the Government of Canada's technical authority on cyber security and the single, unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security operational matters.
