Global alliances key to safeguarding cyberspace, says Canadian study

OTTAWA – A new study says international alliances are key to protecting countries — including Canada — from cyberattacks.

The federally commissioned study found that efforts to safeguard the digital realm have a growing military dimension that might culminate in a global cyber-treaty.

The research, prepared for Public Safety Canada by Ryerson University’s Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute, was released under the Access to Information Act.

It says Canada’s international partners have turned their focus from the prevention of cybercrime like financial fraud to the protection of key national infrastructure, such as electrical grids and water systems.

In order to co-operate effectively with its allies, the study concludes, Canada must also focus on protecting crucial facilities.

It points out there is now heated international discussion about the need for a global treaty that would prevent rival powers from going to war in cyberspace.