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Have your company’s systems been compromised by cybercriminals?
As agricultural and agri-food businesses become more and more digitized and connected online, the risk of cyber threats increases. Cyber-attacks can interrupt key services, affect consumer trust and hurt profitability. This Cyber Security Awareness Month, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) joins other departments and organizations to encourage businesses to Get Cyber Safe and put cyber security measures in place to prevent business disruptions.
Find out more on how to minimize cyber risks on AAFC’s website. While the information is mainly aimed at farming businesses, the practical steps and resources can work for all of us.
But what does cyber resilience look like?
Take a look at the Digital Governance Standards Institute’s Baseline Cyber Security Controls for Small and Medium Organizations. This is a National Standard for Canada and provides requirements broken down into two levels: Level 1 requirements are intended for smaller organizations that are just starting their cyber security journey; Level 2 requirements help organizations mature their cyber posture further.
Meeting the Level 1 or Level 2 requirements from the standard does not guarantee protection against hackers, but it will help improve your cyber posture.
For example, Level 1 requirements include training employees on effective use of passwords, the identification of malicious emails, and the safe use of social media. They include having an incident response plan in place for businesses to either manage cyber incidents on their own or knowing who to contact for help. The requirements also include enabling anti-malware software, automatic patching for all software and hardware, and secure backup systems.
The Standard also provides a number of templates and tools to help businesses meet requirements, including a self-assessment questionnaire to help businesses identify areas of particular risk.
Finally, the Standard is undergoing a periodic review and the Digital Governance Standards Institute invites interested stakeholders to provide their comments. Visit their website to get involved.