Canada grants extension to the deadline for preliminary responses to the Future Fighter Capability Project Request for Proposals

On the same subject

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  April 29, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Federal budget 2021: defence and security - Open Canada

  The world is changing. Trudeau stays the course.

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  March 17, 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Security

  Online 'phishing' attacks expected to target housebound staffers as COVID-19 spreads

  It's a 'huge opportunity' for online crime, one expert warns The number of "phishing" attacks meant to steal the online credentials of public servants and corporate sector employees now housebound due to the COVID-19 pandemic is on the rise, one cyber security expert warns. Many attempts are being made against employees who are working from home on virtual private works (VPNs). Cyber experts are still gathering data to establish a direct correlation between the pandemic crisis and the increase in malicious activity. But Rafal Rohozinski, chief executive officer of the SecDev Group of Companies, said this pandemic moment — when large numbers of employees are at home and receiving instructions from their workplaces on how to connect to internal networks — offers online thieves a "huge opportunity." Federal government and corporate sector systems were never designed to support a sudden, mass migration of employees from offices to their homes, he said. "The opening that creates for those who want to wreak havoc through ransomware and malware is really, really significant," said Rohozinski. "And I don't think we're anywhere near prepared for that. "What we're seeing is an increase in phishing being used as a means to get people's credentials." U.S. Health Department attacked The U.S. Health and Human Services Department's website was hit by a cyber attack over several hours on Sunday, an incident which involved overloading its servers with millions of hits. Officials said the system was not penetrated, although media reports in Washington described it as an attempt to undermine the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus pandemic — and may have been the work of a foreign actor. Rohozinski said that while the facts are not all in yet, his "professional guess" is that there's a link between the attack and the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, Canada's top military commander warned that he'd seen recent indications the country's adversaries intend to exploit the uncertainty, confusion and fear generated by the pandemic. Send in the trolls: Canada braces for an online disinformation assault on COVID-19 Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, was not specific about the potential threats — but experts say they could range from hacking to online disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting the federal government's response. Rohozinski said he's concerned about the federal government's technical capacity to support thousands of employees on private networks. "Everybody's moving on to VPNs. Everybody," he said. "This is an enormous pinpoint and an enormous vulnerability." Federal Digital Government Minister Joyce Murray's office was asked for a response Monday, but was unable to provide an immediate comment. Many of the country's leading information technology companies are part of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTE), a nonprofit centre where companies can swap information and insights. A CCTE spokeswoman said the corporate sector is better prepared to face the challenges posed by the mass movement of employees to home networks. Canada to bar entry to travellers who are not citizens, permanent residents or Americans Canadian military bans international travel in response to COVID-19 Still, there is reason for concern. "Given we are moving people to work from home now, companies need to ensure that the work from home environment is as safe as the corporate environment and that people are trained to notice these phishing campaigns, just like they were in the corporate environment," said Mary Jane Couldridge, director of business development at the CCTE. "It's a matter of keeping our community aware of what is impacting Canada daily so we know how to react to it and prevent it from spreading — and not chase rainbows." Most corporations have plans they'll activate now to cover the wholesale movement of employees to networks outside of the office, she added. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/online-hacking-phishing-covid-19-coronavirus-1.5499725

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  August 15, 2019 | Local, Naval

  Government of Canada awards third contract to help maintain Canada's fleet of combat vessels

  GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 15, 2019 /CNW/ - Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is revitalizing a world-class marine industry in order to provide the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy with the safe and effective warships they require to protect Canadian sovereignty. The government is investing more than $7.5 billion in the Royal Canadian Navy's 12 Halifax-class frigates to provide necessary ongoing maintenance until they are retired in the early 2040s. Today, the Government of Canada awarded a $500-million contract to Irving Shipbuilding Inc., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, to carry out maintenance work on the Halifax-class frigates. This initial five-year contract guarantees a minimum of three frigates for the shipyard, with work planned to begin in the early 2020s. The contract is expected to rise in value as additional work packages are added. This contract is expected to result in up to 400 jobs at the shipyard, plus hundreds of related jobs for marine sector suppliers and subcontractors across the country. On July 16, 2016, the Government of Canada awarded similar contracts to Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards Limited in Victoria, British Columbia, and Chantier Davie in Lévis, Quebec. The Canadian Surface Combatants will replace the Halifax-class frigates and the retired Iroquois-class destroyers. With them, the Royal Canadian Navy will have modern and capable ships to monitor and defend Canada's waters, to continue to contribute to international naval operations for decades to come and to rapidly deploy credible naval forces worldwide, on short notice. Construction on the Canadian Surface Combatants is scheduled to begin at Irving in the early 2020s. Quotes "The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to support the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy by providing them with safe, reliable ships to carry out their important work on behalf of Canada. This contract is another example of how the Strategy is helping to maintain our existing fleet, while supporting economic opportunities for the Canadian marine sector across the country." The Honourable Carla Qualtrough Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility "This announcement is essential for supporting the modernization of the Royal Canadian Navy. With our government's continued investment, our navy will continue to contribute to maritime security and stability around the world. This is a testament to how our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, continues Canada's re‑engagement in the world. I am proud of our sailors and the great work they do." The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan Minister of National Defence Quick facts Docking maintenance work periods are essential to ensure the Halifax-class frigates are available and reliable during their operational cycle and deployments. Of the current fleet of Halifax-class frigates, 7 have their home port in Halifax, Nova Scotia, while the 5 others are based in Esquimalt, British Columbia. The Royal Canadian Navy requires that at least 8 of the 12 frigates are able to deploy at all times to meet the Navy's commitment to the Government of Canada. The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, including the Value Proposition, was applied to this procurement. These frigates monitor and control Canadian waters, defend Canada's sovereignty, facilitate large-scale search and rescue activities, and provide emergency assistance when needed. The frigates operate with and integrate into the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and coalitions of allied states in support of international peace and security operations. Introduced into service in the 1990s, the Canadian-built Halifax-class frigates were recently modernized to remain effective and operationally relevant until the Canadian Surface Combatants enter into service https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-awards-third-contract-to-help-maintain-canada-s-fleet-of-combat-vessels-818012638.html