Canada’s cyber security and the changing threat landscape

Abstract

Cyber security has become a major concern for nation states. This paper analyzes the Canadian discourse of cyber security and the development of new cyber threats. Cyber security discourse has so far been studied largely through its public pronouncements and policy documents, but this analysis also covers operational texts generated through Canada’s cyber security institutions. Echoing the Paris School’s critique of securitization, I argue that we need to consider institutional routines and the hidden work of security professionals alongside the ‘securitizing moves’ of prominent speech acts. Some new threats are announced publically by political actors promoting remedies, but others are classified and dealt with quietly by technocratic institutions. The range of cyber threats addressed by Canada’s federal security agencies has expanded, but this expansion can only be fully appreciated by examining operational and technocratic discourse.