With cyberattacks more than doubling since the pandemic1, organizations are forced to confront this growing, unavoidable threat. Bad actors are exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) and publicly available technology like ChatGPT to devise increasingly sophisticated and nimble schemes2.
Cybercrime damage, especially from ransomware, is a growing threat for Canadian businesses3. For firms, the stakes are higher than ever to fortify their security posture through both cybersecurity and cyber resilience.
Even if your firm has a strong cybersecurity posture, it might still have poor cyber resilience. While cybersecurity refers to the defenses in place to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches, cyber resilience is the ability to rebound from a cyber event once it’s already happened.
Because of its critical role in maintaining business operations while facing cyber threats, cyber resilience should be recognized as a core business strategy. Firms might overlook it, often due to a lack of awareness or misplaced confidence in cybersecurity measures alone. However, without a robust cyber resilience strategy in place, your organization is at significant risk.
To ensure smooth business operations even amid disruptions, a strategic focus on cyber resilience is essential. Here’s how it supports business viability:
Bad actors are quick and nimble, continually adapting to exploit new vulnerabilities. With the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service, launching attacks has become more accessible 4. Meanwhile, professional cybercriminal groups and nation-state actors are escalating their activities — exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities faster than ever 5. These attacks, which target previously unknown security flaws, demonstrate the need for businesses to be agile and swift in their response and recovery efforts.
Cyber resilience empowers businesses to quickly adapt to disruptions, going beyond mere survival to maintaining operational continuity and stability both during and after an incident. By integrating continuous risk assessments and dynamic response strategies into critical business operations — essential functions are fortified against cyber threats.
As new technologies like Enterprise Blockchain, Quantum Computing and Virtual Reality reshape the risk landscape6, the need for dynamic planning is vital. Cyber resilience plans must evolve to keep organizations ahead of new, potential threats. By focusing on dynamic, agile planning — firms can better anticipate and formulate strategic, effective responses.
Business continuity helps your firm meet stakeholder expectations by skillfully managing disruptions that affect customer interactions with your products and services. It encompasses a broad scope, ensuring preparedness against all threats — including cyber attacks — that pose severe financial risks and threaten long-term operational stability.
Business continuity and cyber resilience are inherently linked, each driving the other’s effectiveness.
On average, Canadian companies are paying nearly CA $7 million in data breach costs, the third highest in the world.7 Incurred costs from cybercrime can include direct damages, response and recovery costs, regulatory fines, and the long-term effects on a tarnished reputation. These consequences highlight the financial imperative for organizations to integrate cyber resilience strategies into every facet of their operations.
In the event of an attack, minimizing damage and resuming operations is the priority. An effective cyber resilience strategy identifies key operations, assesses their vulnerability to threats, and develops robust protection and rapid recovery plans. This approach ensures operational continuity across various scenarios, while strengthening defenses against risks like supply chain disruptions.
Cyber resilience should be deeply integrated into everyday business practices, continuously adapting to protect against and recover from cyber threats.
Despite its recognized importance — with cyber resilience being the top strategic spending priority in 2023 — many organizations still find their programs inadequate. According to a recent survey, over half of firms lack a comprehensive approach to assessing cyber resilience. Additionally, many of these organizations doubt their workforce’s capability to effectively “adapt, respond, and recover from cyber incidents”, including breaches.8
Underinvestment and lack of preparedness in cyber resilience can lead to severe consequences, including:
Prioritizing cyber resilience alongside traditional cybersecurity measures helps mitigate these risks effectively.
Cybersecurity and cyber resilience are complementary parts of a comprehensive risk management strategy. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Phishing, representing 17% of breaches experienced by Canadian companies, is a common way attackers try to break into systems and requires vigilance from everyone in the organization9. Effective cybersecurity measures include: regular staff training, simulation exercises, awareness initiatives, and clearly defined processes and procedures.
But even with these defenses in place — what happens when they fail?
When a vulnerability is exploited, the role of cyber resilience becomes essential to recover from incidents. Key components of a robust cyber resilience plan for consideration:
Proactive cyber resilience involves anticipating potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors while planning response strategies through regular assessments and simulations. This approach enables organizations to identify weaknesses and refine their defenses before an incident occurs, in a controlled environment. Without proper proactive planning, responses can be slower, and costs are higher. Proactive measures ensure that interventions are swift, cohesive, and minimally disruptive, maintaining security and customer trust.
As cyber threats grow, so does a trend towards strengthening regulatory frameworks. The EU’s Cyber Resilience Act, which mandates safer hardware and software throughout their entire lifecycle, exemplifies this shift.10 Similarly, Canada is proposing the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act 11.
What does this mean for firms?
Organizations must actively monitor these changes to effectively navigate any spillover effects of international regulations. This is particularly important for firms operating across borders.
Additionally, a proactive stance on regulatory compliance can position organizations competitively when clients or partners assess their supply chains.
As cyber threats evolve, integrating cyber resilience into core operations becomes imperative. This integration is essential for ensuring business continuity and long-term viability — allowing firms to safeguard against potential damages and disruption. Organizations must proactively assess and continuously refine their resilience strategies to maintain operational stability and protect their reputations.
Protect your operations and fortify your long-term viability with robust cyber resilience. Get a cyber resilience assessment today.
3 https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/national-cyber-threat-assessment-2023-2024
4 https://www.ibm.com/topics/ransomware-as-a-service
6 https://www.pwc.com/bm/en/press-releases/pwc-2024-global-digital-trust-insights.html
10 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cyber-resilience-act
11 https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pl/charter-charte/c26_1.html