October 3, 2014            Ottawa, Ontario             Public Safety Canada

The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today launched Cyber Security Awareness Month and encouraged Canadians to learn more about staying safe online.

During Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is held every October in Canada and the United States, Canadians are reminded how to protect themselves and to guard against cyber threats. At the heart of these efforts is GetCyberSafe, Canada’s national cyber security public awareness campaign and a key component of Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy.

To launch the month, Minister Blaney delivered the keynote address at Cyber Security Day, a conference held at Algonquin College featuring presenters from private industry and federal and provincial governments.

Quick Facts

Almost half of all Canadian adults (49 per cent) and have been a victim of cybercrime and risky behavioursFootnote1
Nearly one in five Canadian youth do not know how to use the privacy settings on their social media accountsFootnote2
Nearly a quarter of Canadians (22 per cent) say that they never change their passwords and only 16 per cent say that they change their password a few times a year.Footnote3

Quotes

“We all have a role to play when it comes to cyber security. Cyber Security Awareness Month drives Canadians to take action to protect themselves and their family. Our Government is proud to work with our private sector partners, provinces and territories, and international allies to enhance information sharing, improve our understanding of the cyber threat and contribute to each other’s efforts to mitigate attacks. We will continue to ensure that we are standing up for Canadians against online crime.”
– Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Associated Links

Contacts
Jason Tamming
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
613-991-2924

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657

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For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca.

Source:: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=889859