A month-long cyber security campaign by the federal government is urging Canadians to rewire their thinking when it comes to protecting their personal information.
Among other things, the campaign announced Monday by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews urges Canadians to take greater precautions with passwords and to delete suspicious emails.
"Cyber attacks represent one of the biggest threats facing Canada today," Toews said at a news conference.
"All organizations today, whether public, private or not-for-profit, face the prospect that another nation, competitor or individual could potentially use technology to access confidential information or disrupt essential services."
Toews said the threats are growing in frequency as well as the in level of sophistication.
During the campaign, the federal government is running educational ads and publicizing the Public Safety Canada website getcybersafe.ca, which offers resources and tips for boosting cyber security.
The site also strives to educate people about the risks of scams such as phishing, in which an email mimics a legitimate institution asking users to verify private information.
Canada's "competitive position depends on secure infrastructure," Toews said.
David Stewart-Patterson, vice0president of public policy with the Conference Board of Canada, said any initiative that helps Canadians better understand the threat of cybercrime, is a good thing.
"The biggest threat isn't in the wiring of the devices we're carrying around so much as in the wiring between our ears," he told CTV News Channel.
"We really are unaware I think of just how much can be done and is being done with the information we put into all of those devices as we go about our everyday lives."
He said while most Canadians are aware of common scams and realize the need for complex passwords, many aren't aware of less common but equally dangerous ones.
For example, he said many Canadians aren't aware that most photos taken with cell phones are geotagged -- meaning they include information about where the photo was taken.
That could potentially alert a scammer to the fact one is on vacation, or even provide information about where one lives.
"There are a lot of ways we're putting ourselves at risk quite innocently because we're simply not aware of just how many ways that info we're putting out there can be used against us," he said.
The federal government has been working to boost its own cyber security, offering training for employees to avoid security breaches such as the phishing scam that hit the Treasury Board and Finance Canada earlier this year.
Toews said the newly announced Shared Services Canada department will streamline and centralize government information technology infrastructure and expertise.
