Zurich Insurance Group recently registered to lobby the federal government over Bill C-51, raising concerns that the counterterrorism legislation may create a host of new cyber liability risks, reports
The Globe and Mail.
Zurich believes that the bill, which provides for easier information sharing between government departments and agencies, exposes Canadian individuals and organizations to a greater likelihood of data breaches, leaks and hacks. The Swiss-based insurer is not alone in this assessment.
“Threats to the security of confidential public or private data held by the government existed prior to these bills being presented in the House of Commons,” said Chris Bevan, account executive, Kennedy Insurance. “It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure their own computer systems and any third party organization contracted to host the data have the highest level of security in place. Attention to this issue is paramount and always has been. ”
Referencing the Heartbleed virus attack on CRA and last month’s denial of service attack to the CSIS and CSES website, Bevan admits, “The government has some work to do.”
FCT Insurance Co. Ltd., based out of Oakville, Ontario, is also weary of the impact this legislation will have on Canadians` personal data, according to
The Globe and Mail. It has also registered to lobby on behalf of their objections to Bill C-51, as well as Bill S-4, which allows such entities as internet service providers to more easily access subscribers` data.
While it is uncertain whether this dialogue between the industry and lawmakers will be fruitful, Bevan echoes Zurich’s point that insurance is not a “silver bullet” that can mitigate all costs relating to devastating data breaches.
“Insurers can’t take all the risk involved, the onus is on the government to properly asses and control the risk of transferring the data and keep malicious forces at bay,” he said.
