Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report
The Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report is a compilation of summaries of publicly available emergency management information concerning critical infrastructure.
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News | Cyber tracking | Relevant links | Note to readers
DIR10-139 - July 21, 2010
News
CCIRC releases information note IN10-002: Cyber Security Awareness: Windows XP SP2 End of Product Life
On July 20, Public Safety Canada's Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) released information note IN10-002 to remind existing Microsoft XP SP2 users of the product end of life, effective July 13, 2010 and provide upgrade considerations when patching to Windows XP SP3. No further support will be provided for Windows XP SP2, leaving systems vulnerable to future disclosed vulnerabilities and exploits. CCIRC recommends that departments take all necessary steps to upgrade affected systems to SP3 and reapply requisite patches, including MS08-067, as soon as possible.
Source article - Public Safety Canada, July 20, 2010
CCIRC provides a list of recent and archived security publications.
Lock-out at the Port of Montreal: Update
To update on Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report DIR10-137 , on July 20-21, media reported that a spokesperson for the Maritime Employers Association indicated that the locked-out longshoremen at the Port of Montreal and their employers are scheduled to meet on July 23-24 for talks, with the help of a federal mediator. The spokesperson indicated that businesses that depend on the port to get their goods in or out of Canada will have to decide to wait or to reroute their shipments.
Also on July 20, media reported that the Port of Montreal lockout will have a serious impact on many businesses if it is not resolved quickly. Cascades Inc, Walmart and Quebec Trucking Association are some businesses that have expressed the negative effects of the Port closure.
Source article – CBC , July 20, 2010
Source article – Radio-Canada , July 21, 2010
Source article – Canadian Business Online , July 20, 2010
Source article – Cyberpresse , July 20, 2010
New energy partnership forged between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
On July 20, the Government of New Brunswick announced that the power utilities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are planning to build new transmission lines that would more than double the capacity to ship electricity between the two provinces. The proposed 500-megawatt connection would run between southern New Brunswick and Nova Scotia's Colchester County, creating new jobs and allowing more power to be imported and exported from Nova Scotia. The project still requires a provincial environmental assessment and needs to be approved by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
Source article – Government of New Brunswick, July 20, 2010
Recent flooding will affect Saskatchewan’s economic growth
On July 19, the Financial Post reported that according to a report by TD Bank Financial Group, record rainfall this year will have a significant impact on Saskatchewan’s economic growth for 2010. The report indicated that 8 million acres are likely to be left unseeded this year, projecting a loss of $1.6-billion in gross revenues from crop sales for 2010. Approximately 80% of Saskatchewan’s farmland is unseeded or was damaged by flooding or excess moisture. Consequently, federal and provincial agriculture ministers announced that Saskatchewan will receive $360-million in emergency farm aid, in addition to the estimated $300-million in crop insurance coverage.
Source article – Financial Post, July 19, 2010
Statistics Canada reports crime rate down
On July 20, Statistics Canada posted information regarding police-reported crime statistics. According to a report by Statistics Canada, the volume and severity of police-reported crime fell in 2009, continuing a downward trend seen over the past decade. This trend was consistent across most of Canada with the only increases reported in Manitoba and Nunavut. However, youth violent crime across the country is higher now than a decade ago. Both the volume and severity of youth violent crime were about 10% higher in 2009 than in 1999. Impaired driving offences also increased for the third year in a row, up 3% in 2009.
Source article - Statistics Canada, July 20, 2010
CFIA issues Health Hazard Alert for certain deli meats due to possible Listeria
On July 19-20, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a Health Hazard Alert warning the public not to consume certain ready-to-eat deli meats made by Dats Déli Européan because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. These products have been distributed in Quebec and Ontario. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products. The manufacturer, Dats Déli Européen Inc., Montréal, Quebec, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
Source article – Canadian Food Inspection Agency, July 20, 2010
Source article – Canadian Food Inspection Agency, July 19, 2010
The CFIA provides more information about Listeria monocytogenes.
Cyber tracking
CCIRC security publications
Over the course of the past 24 hours, CCIRC has released the following security publications, which provide details on specific vulnerabilities and suggested mitigation strategies:
- IN10-002: Cyber Security Awareness: Windows XP SP2 End of Product Life
CCIRC provides a list of recent and archived security publications.
Threat and vulnerability monitoring
CCIRC is currently tracking the following computer-based threats and vulnerabilities for relevant impact on Canadian critical infrastructure. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to monitor and apply appropriate security precautions.
Relevant links
Below are links to sites related to Canada’s critical infrastructure.
- Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Health Advisories, Warnings and Recalls
Health Canada
- Disease Outbreak News
World Health Organization
- Travel Health Notices
Public Health Agency of Canada
- Transportation - Safety
Transport Canada
- Travel Reports and Warnings
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Weather warnings for Canada
Environment Canada
- Earthquakes
Earthquakes Canada
- Hurricanes
Canadian Hurricane Centre
- Hurricanes
U.S. National Hurricane Center
- News Releases
Infrastructure Canada
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Note to readers
Public Safety Canada collects information related to cyber and physical threats to, and events concerning, Canadian critical infrastructure. This allows Public Safety Canada to monitor and analyze threats and to issue alerts, advisories and other information products.
Links to sites not under the control of the Government of Canada are provided solely for the convenience of users. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The Government of Canada does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.
Public Safety Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that information products are available in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some links direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.