As part of the Cybersecurity and International Affairs Workshops by the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute and the Balsillie School of International Affairs
Ray Boisvert, Provincial Security Advisor, The Government of Ontario
Destruction and disruption of an adversary’s infrastructure has always been an essential component of conflict strategy. In the 21st century, the destruction or disruption of an adversary’s infrastructure can be achieved without resorting to kinetic weaponry, digital pathways now serving as avenues for striking at transportation, communication, and energy systems. Cyberattacks are far harder to detect and attribute than conventional weaponry, possibly allowing perpetrators to launch offensive actions while skirting just under the threshold of formal hostilities while maintaining some measure of plausible deniability. The session will discuss the nature of the cyber threat to critical infrastructure, determining what forms such an attack may take and the best methods for defending against them. The strategic implications of these vulnerabilities will also be discussed, engaging with questions such as how a state would respond to attributable and non-attributable attacks on their infrastructure. Furthermore, the unfolding deployment of the “internet of things” will likely render the barrier between cyberspace and the physical realm more permeable. Even mundane machinery, such as kitchen appliances and children’s toys, are increasingly embedded with digital communication abilities. This session will explore what sort of new vulnerabilities will arise due to this newfound prevalence of digitally connected physical objects.
Biography
Ray Boisvert is the former Assistant Director, Intelligence for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). In his role, Mr. Boisvert’s teams were responsible for the intelligence collection, assessment and dissemination functions at CSIS. Over his career, he was involved in broad facets of operations, from leadership of the Counter Terrorism domain, to driving national security developments relative to Intelligence Assessments, Data Exploitation, Operational Risk Management, Foreign Relations and Special Operations. Mr. Boisvert was also the senior briefer to Government Ministers, Deputies and key external sectors.
As President and CEO of I-Sec Integrated Strategies, Mr. Boisvert helps organizations make sense of complex operating environments and gain a deeper understanding of intelligence and security in a global context. He is involved in building strategic partnerships and provides advanced surveillance and detection systems relative to cyber and insider threats, coupled with an intelligence led approach to ensure a strategic position against risks and emerging threats to organizational integrity and sustainability.