Ali Ghorbani
Professor, Faculty of Computer Science & Director, Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, University of New Brunswick
As cyber threats escalate worldwide, Canadian experts are pioneering research, partnerships, and training to protect our digital future.
“Cybersecurity is not simply an IT problem,” says Ali Ghorbani, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity, Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), and Director of the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC) at UNB. “Cybersecurity is everyone’s problem. It’s a personal problem. It affects our very private information that we dearly want to protect, and it affects the health and safety of individuals. It’s a business problem, it’s a government problem, and it affects the critical infrastructures that we all depend on. It affects the international relationships between countries.”
Cybersecurity is so broad-reaching it can be hard to quantify.
“Canada’s vital sectors, including health care, energy, finance, education, and retail, are prime targets for cyberattacks,” says Ghorbani. “These industries hold large amounts of sensitive data, provide essential services, and form the backbone of the country’s economy and security.”
Ghorbani adds that their interconnectedness and dependence on digital infrastructure make them especially vulnerable to advanced cyber threats, ranging from ransomware and data breaches to supply-chain attacks and state-sponsored operations.
The cost of cyberattacks
The financial impacts of cyberattacks can be devastating.
In 2024, Canadian organizations faced an average cost of $6.32 million per data breach, with the financial sector experiencing even higher losses, averaging $9.28 million per incident.
These costs extend beyond financial loss, often causing major reputational damage and eroding trust and goodwill, which in many cases have been built over years or even decades.
“Businesses need to be as concerned with their cybersecurity as they are their financial bottom line,” says Ghorbani. “It’s the same as leaving your house and locking the door. Ask yourself, am I protecting the company? Am I saving the operation?”
He stresses that companies and individuals alike must invest in cyber awareness and education, learning to understand the risks and working diligently to protect against them.
A national hub for innovation and partnerships
UNB’s work in cybersecurity dates back 25 years, beginning with the Information Security Centre of Excellence, and now the CIC. In that time, Ghorbani and his colleagues have nurtured partnerships with government and industry and have worked together to pioneer solutions to the most pressing issues in cybersecurity.
The CIC was the first cybersecurity institute in the country. A world leader in cybersecurity research and development, its efforts also include training, awareness, professional development, and supporting entrepreneurship.
“CIC is unique in the way it partners with industry,” says Ghorbani. “We have a membership-based program where companies of all sizes have access to our world-class researchers. We provide consulting and assessment, and together we develop solutions, including software and new technologies that ultimately protect these companies from attack.”
Seven global corporations are part of CIC’s membership, including Mastercard, Siemens Canada, and Scotiabank.
Collaboration at the national level
In partnership with the National Research Council Canada, CIC established the CIC-NRC Cybersecurity Collaboration Consortium, where researchers work in collaboration to develop cybersecurity solutions and provide training opportunities for UNB-based graduate students and early-career researchers.
Most recently, CIC, with funding support from Public Safety Canada, established a Cyber Attribution Data Centre at UNB to advance national cybersecurity. Along with four other Canadian universities, the CIC also established the National Cybersecurity Consortium, which has received nearly $80 million in funding for cybersecurity research, development, innovation, commercialization, and training.
CIC also offers training programs, short- and long-term academic degrees, and short-term certificates, training Canada’s next generation of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals.
Educating the next generation has become more important than ever — according to a recent National Cybersecurity Network report, Canada is short 10,000 to 25,000 cybersecurity professionals. Those numbers are set to rise.
Keeping peace in cyberspace
The cybersecurity industry is projected to grow from US$14.38 billion in 2025 to US$24.23 billion in 2030.
“AI is transforming cybersecurity by enabling faster and more accurate detection, prediction, and prevention of threats,” Ghorbani says. “At the same time, it introduces substantial new challenges that researchers must address and solve to ensure secure and trustworthy systems.”
We’re living in a new environment. “Society has moved to the cyber world,” says Ghorbani. “Wars will be fought in the cyber world and espionage will take place in the cyber world. It’s an environment that requires its own policy, practices, solutions, locks, and policing.”
Ghorbani sees Canada’s leadership in cybersecurity as an extension of its national identity. “Canada has always been a peacekeeping country,” he says. “With the right investment and support, we have the capacity to be a leading exporter of know-how solutions for keeping peace in cyberspace.”
Learn more about the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC) at UNB.
