CYBER RESILIENCE
Florian Kerschbaum, Executive Director of the University of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, shares his insights on the future of cybersecurity in Canada.
In 2017, the federal government conducted the Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime to better understand how cybercrime affects businesses in the country. Up to 21 percent of all businesses, be they small- and medium- sized or large enterprises, reported being hit with a cybersecurity incident that impacted operations.
Canada’s new cybersecurity strategy says that cyber crime costs the country over $3 billion annually, while the worldwide figure is expected to balloon to asmuch as $6 trillion (U. S.) by 2021. Protecting information and infrastructure has become an expensive task for all involved.
Setting new innovations in motion
This is the battleground that the University of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute is preparing for. Researchers at the institute want to foster communication and collaboration between society, industry, governments, and academia to better understand how the university’s work can have an impact beyond Canada’s borders.
“We have one of the leading programs in computer science and electrical and computer engineering in Canada and in the world, plus the strongest research experience and profile in cybersecurity and privacy in the country,” says Florian Kerschbaum, the institute’s Executive Director. “We’re engaging with a number of partners on various subjects that include privacy, network security, data security, software security, and IT projects that work on innovation in these areas.”
Kerschbaum believes the effect is two-fold. Researchers learn about current threats and developments related to cybersecurity and privacy, while findings can turn into practical real-world results that can benefit Canada’s future in those areas.
One example was the U. S. National Security Agency (NSA) adopting public key cryptography created by a spin- off company started by cryptography researchers at Waterloo. Another came from other researchers who created and transferred systems like “off-the-record messaging” that popular messaging apps integrated.
Building anew
“It’s very important to have start-ups because they’re the key to innovating products quickly and bringing them to market ,” says kerschbaum. “They’re looking for the highest-skilled employees, so the skills students learn at theuniversity from our professors can make them leaders in their respective fields.”
That also includes emerging and developing technologies, like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing, all of which K er sch ba um says will play roles in cy ber security and privacy in the years to come.
For their part, Kerschbaum thinks that businesses should be more proactive and vigilant in protecting themselves from cyberattacks. Data breaches can sour a vendor’s reputation, and he believes it won’t be possible for them to have a sustainable future without plans and contingencies in place. New technologies to help deploy those tools are already underway, he adds, putting Canada on the proverbial map as a global leader.
“The University of Waterloo has always been at the forefront of cybersecurity research that actually transfers over into industry,” says Kerschbaum. “Canada has the opportunity to position itself as a trusted partner and provider of cybersecurity for the government and almost all countries in the world.”
It’s very important to have startups because they’re the key to innovating products quickly and bringing them to market