Vanguard Magazine

14 DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com CYBERSECURITY and many more researchers in fields from computer science to law, is a point of pride, and we look forward to those experts con- tributing positively to Canada's cybersecu- rity landscape." The University of New Brunswick has made a significant contribution to the con- sortium's core. Largest Security Research Group The faculty of computer science at the University is also home to the largest secu- rity research group in the country. Some of their notable accomplishments include the formation of the Security Centre of Excel- lence in 2007. Expertise and Dedication The five founding institutions brought together their expertise and dedication to innovation in the field. The resulting consortium works within both the private and public sectors. The first priority of the group is to lead world-class innovation and cybersecurity and talent development in that field. The NCC is a federally incorporated non- profit that was founded in 2020. They work with the public and private sectors to lead world-class cybersecurity talent develop- ment and innovation. The NCC itself has several priorities that it will bring to the table when it leads the federal initiative. • Knowledge sharing. The consortium is dedicated to providing a community where experience is accessible at any time by both experts and peers. It's an indis- pensable part of any cybersecurity land- scape. • Research and development in both the private and public sectors. The end goal is sustaining a robust R&D set of partner- ships with the industry. • Partnership is another cornerstone. The focus here is to cultivate and promote collaborative partnership opportunities so they have a three-pronged approach between the public, private sectors, and academia. • Growth is another important area. The NCC's end goal is to build innovative and exceptional cybersecurity systems that establish sustainability and economic growth for the citizens of Canada and the country in general. • Another big part of their mandate is to offer and develop training programs meeting the cybersecurity needs of the public and private sectors. To accomplish these goals, the consortium needs a team of well-versed members and collaborators. This group includes industry as well as not for profits as well as research centers, colleges, and universities. They also have collaborations with governments on both the provincial and federal levels. The NCCs Mission Advancing both cybersecurity talent and preparedness across the nation and helping to develop both is the mission of the con- sortium. The University of Calgary envisions the NCC as a pan- Canadian network that sup- ports the growth of the nation's cyberse- curity ecosystems through a collaboration between industry and academia. The Uni- versity is an important part of the consor- tium since experts at that institution have expertise in the social, ethical, and legal issues around cybersecurity. They are also well-versed in computer science and cryp- tography. Dr. Ed McCauley, President, the Uni- versity of Calgary, explains the institution's position. "Academic-industry collaboration is key to advancing Canada's cybersecurity eco- system," he said recently. "By coordinating transdisciplinary expertise across the coun- try and forming strategic partnerships, we can accelerate cybersecurity research and development and help secure Canada's digital future." Dr. Cauley also elaborates on the research themes that the NCC focuses its efforts on. They include: • Network Security - This aspect of the research is critical to Canada's infrastruc- ture. Securing a network demands com- plex combinations of devices that include anti-malware software applications, fire- walls, and hardware devices. • Software Security - This is the process of testing, building, and designing software for the above-mentioned security. Soft- ware security pinpoints and fixes prob- lems with any type of digital product. The end goal is making products and testing existing ones so they can withstand any attacks proactively. • Human-Centric Cybersecurity - This is defined as a cybersecurity policy that takes into account the formation of guidelines and procedures as well as processes and policies that integrate with individuals. • Privacy - The NCC is well aware their continuing work with the government needs to centre on this important part of any comprehensive strategy. Some data privacy laws like the GDPR have already been created to safeguard web data, fi- nancial details, and demographic informa- tion. • Critical Infrastructure Protection - Of course, organizational structures set in critical industries nationally need to be a priority. The focus here includes indus- tries such as transportation and food as well as agriculture. They need to receive innovative protection against everything from terrorist actions to natural disasters and cyber threats. A New Era This recent announcement concerning the NCC heralds in a new era of evolving cy- bersecurity across all sectors and regions in the country. It shows great promise for a strong framework that will serve both citi- zens and institutions. The NCC's executive members are: • Dr. Ali Ghorbani, Director, Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, University of New Brunswick • Charles Finlay, Executive Director, Rog- ers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Met- ropolitan University • Dr. Mourad Debbabi, Director, Security Research Centre, Concordia University • Dr. Ken Barker, Director, Institute for Security, Privacy and Information Assur- ance, University of Calgary • Dr. N. Asokan, Executive Director, Cy- bersecurity and Privacy Institute, Uni- versity of Waterloo Together, they are excited and thrilled that the government of Canada has appointed them to lead such an important program. "We believe that the new network will become a major force for the advancement of cybersecurity innovation in Canada. As a nationwide network, CSIN is poised to meaningfully advance cybersecurity across all sectors and in all regions of Canada, opening a new chapter of collaborative in- novation in Canadian cybersecurity." A Collaborative Model Current members and partners of the NCC work under a collaborative model. The consortium uses a tiered structure to engage both the public and private sectors. Current collaborators and members of the NCC include not-for-profits, industry, re- search centres, government, and universi- ties as well as colleges. Parties interested in becoming a member can email info@ncc-cnc.ca.

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