The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said the increasing number of internet-connected products—like smart TVs, speakers and thermostats—and the focus on “ease of use over security” in designing them makes these devices a prime target for hacking and misuse. The newly-established centre’s first national cyber threat assessment report also warned of state-sponsored influence and misinformation campaigns in the 2019 federal election. (CBC)

Talking point: Neither issue is new to security experts or the public, but the report fits within the centre’s responsibility to provide advice and information to citizens and businesses, not just to government. That will include developing a standard for “what a good minimum hygiene is” for small- and medium- sized businesses and tailored support for larger companies, particularly in strategically important industries like telecommunications, finance and energy, a senior official told me earlier this year.