Thousands of Canadian researchers depend on the critical infrastructure of advanced research computing, research data management and research software functioning reliably. Cybersecurity events and threats can impact a researcher’s ability to introduce new theories, methods, ideas or products that are essential to propel creativity and advance research discoveries that benefit Canadian society.
The Alliance’s cybersecurity mandate is to protect the digital research infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem. We are accomplishing this by working with our partners to establish and implement a national vision that will enhance the cybersecurity framework, covering governance, policies, technology and operations.
To achieve our mandate, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) has been adopted to develop the Alliance Federation Cybersecurity Strategy and Roadmap.
As part of this roadmap, several activities have been identified in risk management, security training and awareness, monitoring and auditing, identify and access management, vulnerability management and others based on the needs of our ecosystem.
Approved Cybersecurity Policies, Standards and related documents that apply to the Alliance Federation can be found here.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
The Alliance participates in Cybersecurity Awareness Month each year in October to help train and support Canadian researchers with the latest cybersecurity practices to help safeguard them and their research. In 2023, the Cybersecurity Training and Awareness Working Group coordinated a series of cybersecurity webinars, workshops and presentations. Recordings of these sessions are now available.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month series:
- Data Security Presentation
- Backdoors and Breaches
- Introduction to Incident Analysis
- Cybersecurity at the Executive Level
- Multifactor Authentication for Researchers (French Presentation)
- Multifactor Authentication for Researchers (English Presentation)
- Alliance Federation Cybersecurity Governance Town Hall