ADM(IM) and DVCDS message regarding security

June 10, 2021 - Defence Stories

Team,

Just over a year ago, life changed for all of us when the pandemic was declared. Most Defence Team members began working remotely — some for the first time. The shift to working remotely was critical to help control the spread of the coronavirus, but such a significant change was bound to have security implications. 

Whether working from home or the office, we must remember to always safeguard DND and CAF information and assets. Failure to do so could harm Canadian and Allied interests, operational tasks and the safety of our personnel. Security threats often target and exploit our greatest asset: our people. Therefore, we must all take extra precautions to protect our information, our assets and each other.

Security is everyone’s responsibility. We must integrate safe practices within our day-to-day operations to prevent security incidents from occurring. The Director General Defence Security regularly publishes security awareness infographics, articles and videos, and we urge all Defence Team members to review these short informative products when they appear in Defence Team News. You can also find them in the Security Awareness Toolkit (accessible only on the National Defence network).

A few key reminders:

• The Defence 365 Platform allows for processing, storing, and transmitting information up to Protected A with the exception of Virtual Meetings. Virtual meetings and discussions may be conducted up to Protected B, but other content during the virtual meeting such as text chat, files, pictures, display and screen sharing, and recording are limited to Protected A or lower.
• You should never connect unauthorized USB or Bluetooth devices, cell phones, tablets or external hard drives to any DND/CAF network device. This can enable dangerous malware to bypass our network-based security defences.
• Keep your personal and professional accounts separate. Social media is a powerful tool to keep us connected, but it can also make us vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals. You can keep yourself, your family and friends, and our institutions safe by maintaining robust privacy settings and limiting the amount of personal information you share.

Ensuring we establish, understand, and rigorously follow proper IM/IT security measures is vital to the work we do. Thank you to the entire Defence Team for your excellent work and continued commitment to protecting the safety and security of the Department and all Canadians.

Stay informed. Stay vigilant!

Len Bastien
Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management) / Chief Information Officer

MGen Blaise Frawley
Deputy Vice Chief of the Defence Staff