[ISN] Ottawa to set up secure communication system safe from hackers

[InfoSec News]

http://money.canoe.ca/News/Other/2004/03/25/395748-cp.html

By JIM BRONSKILL
2004-03-25

OTTAWA (CP) - A government-wide secret communication system is in the
works to ensure federal officials can talk to each other without
hackers or terrorists snooping on them.

Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said the project is part of a
larger effort to help organizations with security responsibilities
communicate more easily. "Communications are absolutely key.  
Intelligence gathering is key," McLellan said after a speech to
security and police officials Thursday.

"If you're going to prevent various kinds of terrorist attacks, the
better your intelligence, the better prepared you are. And you also
need to be secure around making sure that those communications are
shared."

McLellan suggested existing systems in government departments are
quite secure, but form a piecemeal network of different technologies
that sometimes make communication a challenge.

The emphasis on better flow of intelligence was likely a pre-emptive
move as Auditor General Sheila Fraser prepares to release a report
Tuesday scrutinizing the technical barriers that hamper the exchange
of messages between Canada's security information systems.

Fraser's report will examine overall federal handling of the $7.7
billion allotted to security initiatives following the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks on the United States.

She will zero in on the co-ordination of intelligence among
departments and agencies, their ability to provide information to
police, the state of fingerpring identification systems, and the
assessment of airport workers who require clearances to restricted
areas.

McLellan, while acknowledging some security gaps remain, denied the
private conversations of Canadian officials are falling into the wrong
hands.

"I'm not saying there are problems. This is about a continuous
improvement, if you like," she told reporters. "We know since Sept. 11
we live in a very unpredictable world."

The government announced $605 million in new money for security over
five years in its budget this week. It will go toward shoring up
weaknesses at marine ports, better analysis of potential threats and
investments in technology.

The government will consult Canadians as it drafts a national security
policy in coming months, McLellan promised.

She also stressed ongoing co-operation with U.S. counterpart Tom Ridge
on border security.

Canada must refuse to be a weak link or a haven from which terrorists
can attack others, she said.

McLellan pointed to the terrorist bombs that ripped through commuter
trains in Madrid two weeks ago, killing 190 people and injuring many
others.

"There are no direct or specific threats against Canada. But I think
what Madrid tells us is a heightened state of vigilance and
surveillance is absolutely key.

"We cannot overreact, but we cannot be complacent."