New research exposes vulnerabilities, talent gaps, and regulatory challenges threatening Canada’s OT resilience
Today, the Canadian Cybersecurity Network (CCN), Canada’s largest cybersecurity community, unveiled its highly anticipated OT Cybersecurity Report. The report offers a strategic analysis of the vulnerabilities and opportunities shaping Canada’s Operational Technology (OT) landscape. As the digital and physical worlds become increasingly intertwined, the stakes for national resilience have never been higher.
A recent PwC survey underscores this urgency: 54 percent of Canadian organizations reported an OT cybersecurity incident in the past three years, and 45 percent of boards now view OT risks as their top business concern. Together, these findings are a wake-up call for the operators and systems that underpin Canada’s critical infrastructure, signaling systemic threats that could disrupt essential services, compromise safety, and erode public trust.
Key Findings
- Fragile OT networks: Weak segmentation and flat architectures allow attackers to move from Information Technology (IT) into OT, exposing production lines and critical services to disruption or compromise.
- Talent gap: A shortage of cybersecurity expertise specific to OT environments leaves organizations vulnerable, as IT and OT teams struggle to bridge the skills gap.
- Regulatory lag: Canada trails its global peers in federal OT security standards. While the proposed Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA) aims to establish baseline protections, uncertainty remains around obligations and enforcement.
“The CCSPA makes it clear: critical infrastructure operators must treat OT and IoT security as enterprise risk,” said Sandeep Lota, Field CTO, Nozomi Networks. “That starts with visibility, knowing every asset in your environment, then building a program that can manage supply chain risk, detect incidents, and minimize impact.”
“Canada’s critical infrastructure – power, manufacturing, transportation, and more– is increasingly digital yet alarmingly underprotected,” said François Guay, CEO and Founder, CCN. “Our national OT report exposes this mismatch and calls on leaders to turn awareness into action. Securing OT isn’t optional; it’s essential to national resilience.”
Building Canada’s OT Resilience
Leaders across industries and governments can act now to strengthen OT security and protect Canada’s most essential services:
- Put OT security on the agenda at executive briefings and board-level discussions.
- Use this report to guide targeted investments, shape policy advocacy, and spark cross-sector collaboration.
- Take proactive steps to build a safer, more resilient Canada – before the next incident puts critical infrastructure to the test.
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