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The Cyber Attribution Data Centre (CADC) at the University of New Brunswick marked its first year of operation with a milestone event on May 14 that reflected its growth in capacity, research and national impact.

Launched in late 2024 at UNB’s Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC), the centre addresses a critical need in Canada’s cyber defence: the ability to identify who is behind malicious cyber activity and understand how and why those actions take place.

Dr. Ali Ghorbani, director of the CIC and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at UNB, said attribution is the foundation of effective cyber defence.

“Unless you understand your adversary in detail, you cannot build solutions that work. The CADC provides Canada with the ability to study real incidents, learn from them and prepare for what comes next.”

Public Safety Canada committed up to $10 million in federal funding over five years, delivered through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), to establish the centre. That investment supported the creation of a secure research facility and data centre designed to conduct comprehensive cyber attribution research.

Over its first year, the CADC has developed infrastructure and processes to support advanced work in areas such as dark‑web analysis, malware reverse engineering and cyber‑threat intelligence.

Core elements of the centre’s work include:

• Collecting and analyzing data from real cyber incidents;
• Examining attacker tactics, techniques and procedures;
• Producing and providing intelligence to key stakeholders; and
• Supporting research, training and workforce development.

The CADC team brings expertise in data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital forensics, networking, policy and operations.

Dr. Kathy Wilson, UNB’s acting president and vice chancellor, said the centre reflects the university’s growing role in national intelligence and defence priorities.

“UNB is proud to be home to this crucial work that strengthens Canada’s ability to understand, anticipate, and respond to cyber threats.”

David Myles, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Nature), and the Member of Parliament for Fredericton-Oromocto, spoke at the event, highlighting how the federal investment is helping to build critical national cybersecurity capacity.

“As the Cyber Attribution Data Centre marks its first year at the University of New Brunswick, we are seeing the value of early investments made through the Government of Canada to strengthen Canada’s cyber attribution capabilities,” said Myles.

“By supporting advanced research, infrastructure, and talent development, this centre is improving Canada’s cyber resilience and preparing the next generation of cybersecurity experts to meet evolving threats.”

PS Myles spoke on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for ACOA.

As the CADC enters its second year, its focus remains on scaling capacity, deepening research and expanding training in a field where threats continue to evolve quickly.

Media contacts

• UNB Strategic Communications & Marketing, media@unb.ca 
• Media Relations, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, mediaroom-salledesmedias@acoa-apeca.gc.ca