February 7, 2026 Guide 3 min read

How to Use Your Cybersecurity Assessment Results

By Cybersecurity Canada Editorial Team | Published February 7, 2026

You've completed the Cybersecurity Canada assessment — now what? Your results contain valuable information about your organization's security posture. Here's how to make the most of them.

Understanding Your Score

Your overall score is a percentage representing how closely your current practices align with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security's Baseline Controls. Here's what the grades mean:

• A (85%+) — Strong baseline compliance. Your organization has comprehensive measures across most control areas.
• B (70-84%) — Good progress. Solid foundations with some areas needing attention.
• C (50-69%) — Partial implementation. Meaningful gaps exist that should be addressed.
• D (30-49%) — Significant gaps. Your organization is exposed to considerable risk.
• F (Below 30%) — Critical gaps. Immediate action is needed across multiple areas.

Prioritizing Improvements

Not all control areas carry equal urgency. Here's a practical approach to prioritization:

Address "None" Areas First

Any area where you scored "None" represents a complete gap in your defenses. These should be your highest priority, particularly:

• Multi-Factor Authentication (BC.5) — The single highest-impact improvement
• Data Backup (BC.7) — Your last line of defense against ransomware
• Incident Response (BC.1) — You need a plan before an incident occurs

Build on "Basic" Areas Next

Areas where you scored "Basic" have some awareness but lack formal implementation. Moving these to "Moderate" often requires documenting what you're already doing informally and adding technical controls.

Strengthen "Moderate" Areas

Moving from "Moderate" to "Strong" typically involves closing coverage gaps, adding monitoring, and documenting procedures.

Building a Roadmap

Rather than trying to fix everything at once, create a realistic timeline:

1. Month 1-2 — Address all "None" areas with highest impact
2. Month 3-4 — Move "Basic" areas to "Moderate"
3. Month 5-6 — Begin strengthening "Moderate" areas
4. Ongoing — Re-assess quarterly to track progress

Dive Deeper into Each Control Area

For guidance on the most impactful areas, explore these resources:

• Authentication (BC.5): Why MFA is the single biggest upgrade and password security mistakes to fix
• Incident Response (BC.1): Building an incident response plan
• Data Backup (BC.7): 5 backup assumptions that fail when it matters
• Security Awareness (BC.6): What actually works in security training
• All 13 controls: Understanding Canada's Baseline Controls

What if I need a professional cybersecurity assessment in Canada?

The free cybersecurity assessment provides a useful self-guided starting point, but some organizations require a documented, independently verified evaluation for leadership, insurers, or a board. Cyber Unit, the Canadian cybersecurity company that built and maintains Cybersecurity Canada, offers a Professional Security Assessment: analyst-led structured interviews with your team, hands-on review of your systems and configurations across 20+ security areas, and a written report with executive summary and prioritized roadmap. A findings walkthrough session is included, and the assessment is conducted remotely over Zoom or Teams. The free tool on this site remains free with no obligation.

Take Action

Print your results and share them with your leadership team. Cybersecurity improvement requires organizational commitment — and that starts with understanding where you stand.

Take the assessment now or re-take it periodically to track your progress and identify new areas for improvement. For a detailed explanation of each control area and how they work together, see our cybersecurity guide for Canadian small businesses or learn more on our cybersecurity assessment page.

Cite This Page

Suggested citation:

Cybersecurity Canada (2026). How to Use Your Cybersecurity Assessment Results. Retrieved from https://cybersecuritycanada.ca/news/posts/how-to-use-your-assessment-results/

Permanent URL: https://cybersecuritycanada.ca/news/posts/how-to-use-your-assessment-results/ · Published February 7, 2026