On August 12, 2019, the Canadian federal government announced CyberSecure Canada, a voluntary certification
program to help small and medium enterprises ("SMEs")
achieve a baseline of cybersecurity. SMEs that demonstrate
compliance with specified baseline cybersecurity controls, based on
an audit by an accredited certification body, will be granted a
two-year certification and be entitled to use the CyberSecure
Canada logo.
Cybersecurity for SMEs
Cybersecurity is important for organizations of all kinds and
sizes, including SMEs. Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting
SMEs, including to obtain information about their customers and
business partners and to access the systems and data of their
business partners. Cyberattacks can cause SMEs to suffer
potentially devastating financial losses and liabilities. However,
comprehensive cybersecurity programs can be expensive and time
consuming to implement and beyond the financial and human resources
means of many SMEs.