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Written by Mike Pearlstein, CISSP, CEO of Fusion Computing Limited. Helping Canadian businesses build and manage secure IT infrastructure since 2012 across Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver.
October is coming, and with it the one month of the year when cybersecurity gets a marketing budget. Cyber Security Awareness Month gives a 25 to 50 person firm a ready-made excuse to fix the unglamorous basics: the missing MFA, the untested backup, the phishing training nobody scheduled.
Most Canadian small businesses let the month pass as a poster campaign. That is a wasted 31 days. The firms that treat it as a 4-week project close real gaps, and they walk into Q4 insurance renewals with evidence instead of guesses.
This guide lays out what the Canadian campaign actually offers, then a week-by-week playbook Fusion Computing runs with clients each fall, sized for a firm with no full-time security staff.
Short answer: Cyber Security Awareness Month runs October 1 to 31 in Canada, led by the Communications Security Establishment through the Get Cyber Safe campaign. A small business can turn it into a 4-week program: accounts and MFA in week 1, phishing training in week 2, devices and backups in week 3, and insurer-ready documentation in week 4.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Cyber Month is Canada’s official October campaign, run by CSE’s Get Cyber Safe program with free business toolkits (Get Cyber Safe, 2026).
- 43% of Canadian organizations were hit by a cyber attack and 42% suffered a data breach in the past 12 months (CIRA 2025).
- 98% of Canadian organizations run security training, yet training frequency has not increased since 2022-2023 (CIRA 2025).
- Canadian businesses spent CA$1.2 billion recovering from cyber incidents in 2023, double the 2021 figure (Statistics Canada).
- A 25 to 50 person firm can run the full 4-week playbook in 20 to 30 staff hours using free federal resources.
What is Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada?
Cyber Security Awareness Month is an internationally recognized campaign held every October. The Canadian edition is run under the Get Cyber Safe (2026) banner, led by the Communications Security Establishment Canada with advice from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. In 2026 the campaign runs October 1 to 31, with a new weekly theme published for each of the 5 weeks.
The campaign exists because awareness fades. A firm that rolled out MFA in 2023 has since hired 6 new people, adopted 4 new SaaS tools, and let 2 old admin accounts linger. Cyber Month is the annual checkpoint that catches the drift.
Why does Cyber Month matter more for small businesses in 2026?
According to the CIRA 2025 Cybersecurity Survey, 43% of Canadian organizations experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months and 42% suffered a breach of customer or employee data, up from 29% in 2022. The steepest increases landed on smaller organizations, which typically carry weaker defences and no dedicated security staff.
The dollar side is just as blunt. IBM puts the average Canadian breach at CA$6.98 million in 2025, and ransomware recovery costs routinely reach 6 figures even for firms under 50 seats. Fusion Computing breaks down the national numbers in its State of Cybersecurity in Canada 2026 review.
Timing gives October extra weight. Many Canadian cyber-insurance policies renew in Q4 or on January 1, and Bill C-8 has pushed supplier security clauses into renewal contracts across federally regulated supply chains. Work you complete in October shows up as evidence exactly when underwriters ask for it.
Not sure your MFA coverage would survive an audit? Talk to a CISSP about a 1-day gap review →
| Metric | Canadian figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations attacked in past 12 months | 43% | CIRA 2025 |
| Customer or employee data breached | 42% (29% in 2022) | CIRA 2025 |
| Hit by ransomware; victims who paid | 24%; 74% paid | CIRA 2025 |
| National recovery spending, 2023 | CA$1.2 billion | Statistics Canada |
| Average cost of a data breach, 2025 | CA$6.98 million | IBM 2025 |
What does the Get Cyber Safe campaign offer a small business?
Get Cyber Safe publishes free Cyber Month materials for organizations through its resources hub (2026): social media kits, internal communication templates, co-branded graphics, and printable posters. The 2025 theme was Get cyber safe, for future you, built around 5 weekly themes; the 2026 theme is announced in September.
The kit solves the hardest part of an internal campaign for a firm with no marketing team: the actual emails, posters, and talking points. You supply 15 minutes per week of leadership attention and the follow-through below.
Firms that want a formal credential after October can graduate to certification. Fusion Computing walks clients through the federal program in its CyberSecure Canada certification guide, with a companion readiness matrix that maps the 13 baseline controls.
Week 1: How should you lock down accounts and access?
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (2026) keeps its baseline advice for small organizations short: turn on multi-factor authentication, patch promptly, and keep tested backups. Week 1 of Cyber Month targets the first item, because stolen credentials remain the most common entry point into small-business environments.
Run a 1-hour MFA audit on October 1. List every system that holds money or data: email, VPN, remote desktop, admin portals, payroll, banking, and line-of-business SaaS. Mark which ones enforce MFA for every user, not just admins.
Close the week with 2 cleanup passes: deploy a password manager to every staff member, and disable stale accounts left over from 2024-2025 departures. The business case for MFA and the zero trust model both start from the same premise: assume 1 password is already stolen. A cybersecurity assessment can baseline this in a day.
Week 2: How do you train your team to spot phishing?
CIRA’s 2025 survey found 98% of Canadian organizations provide cybersecurity training to employees, yet training frequency has not increased since 2022-2023 while attacker sophistication has. The gap is cadence: a single annual video does not change click behaviour, and week 2 of Cyber Month is the natural launch point for a monthly rhythm.
Start with a baseline phishing simulation on Monday, before any announcement. The un-announced baseline gives you an honest click rate to measure against in January. We tracked first-click rates across managed clients running monthly simulations: they fall steadily after the third or fourth cycle, an FC internal benchmark from Q2 2026. A one-off October blast changes nothing by December.
| Week 2 action | Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline phishing simulation (un-announced) | IT lead or MSP | 1 hour setup |
| 30-minute lunch-and-learn on 2026 phishing lures | Leadership | 30 minutes |
| Deploy a report-phish button in email | IT lead or MSP | 1 hour |
| Publish a no-blame reporting policy | Leadership | 30 minutes |
The no-blame policy matters more than the tooling. Staff who fear discipline hide the click, and the 40-minute head start you lose is the difference between 1 locked mailbox and a tenant-wide incident. Building the permanent program is covered in our security awareness training guide.
Want October planned for you? Book a 30-minute Cyber Month scoping call →
Why Canadian firms bring this work to Fusion Computing
CISSP-led, a Microsoft Solutions Partner and a CompTIA Managed Services Trustmark holder, securing IT for Canadian SMBs across Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver since 2012.
Week 3: How do you harden devices and updates?
According to Statistics Canada (2023), Canadian businesses spent CA$1.2 billion recovering from cybersecurity incidents in 2023, double the 2021 figure. Most of that spending traces back to unpatched systems and untested backups, which is why week 3 moves the campaign from people to devices.
Pull a patch report for every workstation and server. Anything still on Windows 10 needs a decision this month; our Windows 10 end-of-support guide lays out the 2026 options and costs for Canadian firms.
Then test 1 restore. Pick a random file server or a Microsoft 365 mailbox and actually restore it to a sandbox. A backup that has never been restored is a hope. CIRA found 74% of Canadian ransomware victims paid in 2025, and a tested restore is what makes refusing the ransom possible.
“The assessment found an admin account with domain-level rights that had been inactive for four years but was still open. One phishing email away from a full breach. We never would have caught that on our own.”
Week 4: How do you turn October into insurer-ready evidence?
In the CIRA 2025 findings, 24% of Canadian organizations were hit by ransomware in the prior 12 months, and 74% of victims paid, typically CA$25,000 or more. Insurers have priced that reality in: the 2026 renewal questionnaire is now a security audit, and week 4 is where you assemble the answers.
Cyber insurance pays the claim; it does not stop the incident. The renewal questionnaire is the useful part: treat its 40 to 60 questions as your deploy backlog. Carriers now ask for proof of MFA coverage, backup testing, and training cadence, and the cyber insurance requirements in Canada keep tightening. Our coverage checklist maps the usual questions.
Close the month with a 1-hour incident-response tabletop: walk through a Friday 4 p.m. ransomware scenario, name who calls whom, and write the gaps down. Our ransomware recovery case study shows what a rehearsed plan buys you. Map the results to the CIS Controls, and consider a penetration test for 2027 budget planning.
What does running Cyber Month cost a 25 to 50 person firm?
IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the average Canadian breach at CA$6.98 million, up 10.4% year over year. Against that baseline, a full 4-week Cyber Month program costs a 25 to 50 person firm roughly 20 to 30 staff hours plus optional tooling, because the federal campaign materials are free.
| Tier | What you get | Typical 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Get Cyber Safe kit, CCCS guidance, internal time | CA$0 plus 20 to 30 staff hours |
| Platform-assisted | Phishing-simulation and training platform | Per-user licensing; varies by vendor and seat count |
| Managed | Training, simulations, patching, and reporting inside managed cybersecurity | From $180+/user/month as part of managed IT |
Fusion Computing includes awareness training, monthly phishing simulations, and the insurer evidence pack inside its managed cybersecurity packages, so October becomes a reporting exercise rather than a scramble.
Facing a Q4 insurance renewal? Get help building the evidence pack →
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CISSP-Led • Microsoft Solutions Partner • CompTIA Managed Services Trustmark • 50 Best Managed IT Companies (2024)
What should you do before October 1?
Book 4 calendar slots in September, download the Get Cyber Safe kit when the 2026 theme drops, and assign 1 owner per week. Run the baseline phishing simulation before you announce anything. By October 31 you hold an evidence pack your insurer, your board, and your 2027 budget will all use.
Related Resources
- Security awareness training guide
- Cybersecurity tips for small businesses
- State of Cybersecurity in Canada 2026
- Cyber insurance requirements in Canada
- CyberSecure Canada certification guide
- Windows 10 end-of-support guide
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada?
Cyber Security Awareness Month runs October 1 to 31 every year in Canada. The 2026 campaign follows the same schedule, with a new weekly theme published for each of the 5 weeks of October by the federal Get Cyber Safe program.
What is the theme for Cyber Security Awareness Month 2026?
Get Cyber Safe announces each theme in September, so the 2026 theme lands roughly 2 weeks before the campaign starts. The 2025 theme was Get cyber safe, for future you, built around 5 weekly themes covering devices, evolving threats, and new habits.
Who runs Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada?
The Communications Security Establishment Canada leads the campaign through its Get Cyber Safe program, with advice and guidance from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. The campaign has run every October since 2011 and aligns with awareness campaigns in more than 30 other countries.
Is Cyber Month only for large companies?
No. CIRA reported in 2025 that 43% of Canadian organizations experienced a cyber attack in the prior 12 months, with the steepest increases hitting smaller organizations. The federal toolkit is free, and a 25 to 50 person firm can run the full 4-week program in 20 to 30 staff hours.
What free resources can a small business use during Cyber Month?
Get Cyber Safe publishes free social media kits, internal communication templates, co-branded graphics, and printable posters for organizations. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security adds baseline guidance for small organizations. All materials cost CA$0 and are refreshed for the October 2026 campaign.
How much staff time does a Cyber Month program take?
Plan for 20 to 30 staff hours across the 4 weeks: 6 to 8 hours for the accounts and MFA audit, 4 to 6 hours for phishing training, 6 to 8 hours for device and backup work, and 3 to 5 hours to assemble the evidence pack.
Does participating in Cyber Month help with cyber insurance?
Yes. Canadian cyber-insurance renewal questionnaires in 2026 run 40 to 60 questions and ask for proof of MFA enforcement, backup restore tests, and training cadence. An October program produces exactly that evidence, dated weeks before the common Q4 and January 1 renewal windows.
What is the difference between Cyber Month and an awareness training program?
Cyber Month is a 31-day campaign that kick-starts habits and produces a dated evidence pack. An awareness training program is the year-round system: monthly phishing simulations, quarterly micro-training, and tracked click rates. October works best as the launch point for the 12-month program.
How should a law firm or medical clinic adapt the Cyber Month playbook?
Regulated firms add 1 compliance layer per week. Law firms map the week 4 evidence pack to law society technology-competence expectations, and Ontario clinics map the week 3 device work to PHIPA safeguards. The 4-week structure stays the same; the evidence pack simply gains 2 to 3 regulator-specific documents.
Can a nonprofit or charity run Cyber Month at no cost?
Yes. The Get Cyber Safe kit is free, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security guidance is free, and the 4-week playbook needs 20 to 30 volunteer or staff hours. Nonprofits already holding Microsoft 365 nonprofit grants can enable MFA and phishing reporting with 0 new licensing spend.
Do phishing simulations require employee consent in Canada?
Simulations on company systems generally run under an existing acceptable-use policy rather than individual consent. The practical 2026 standard is transparency: announce that simulations run year-round, publish a no-blame reporting policy, and avoid punitive lures such as fake bonus notices. HR sign-off before the week 2 baseline is the safe pattern.
What is CyberSecure Canada and is it worth pursuing after October?
CyberSecure Canada is the federal cybersecurity certification for small organizations, built on 13 baseline control areas. An October program covers much of the groundwork: MFA, backups, training, and incident planning map directly to the controls. Firms in procurement-heavy sectors gain the most, because the badge is recognized in 2026 supplier questionnaires.
