B.C. government lax on cybersecurity to protect IT assets, auditor reports

British Columbia's auditor general says the provincialgovernment has not been doing a good enough job protecting its information technology from potential cybersecurity threats.

Michael Pickup says of the five government ministries reviewed byhis office, only the Ministry of Education and the informationbranch in the Ministry of Citizens' Services provided strongprotections against cybersecurity threats.

He says the audit found the ministries of finance, health andnatural resources and much of the Ministry of Citizens' Services didnot have adequate cybersecurity practices to manage its IT assets.

Pickup says his audit makes seven recommendations to improveprotection and management of information technology, all of whichhave been accepted by the B.C. government.

He says his office is planning a future review of IT protectionduring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with many government employeesworking from their homes.

The auditor also released a report today that was critical of thegovernment's management of forest service roads in the province,saying the Ministry of Forests didn't manage safety or environmentalrisks in accordance with its policies.