Security

The CRA and Internet security

We are committed to providing a secure online environment so that Canadians can find information and complete transactions with us. We use various Internet security tools to address Internet security concerns. Internet security requires a partnership between two parties—in this case, you and us.

What we do to ensure security

The CRA uses specially configured computer Web servers for any business we do with you. We use corporate firewalls to protect our Web servers from unauthorized access. Your personal information is not stored on these servers. We securely store your personal information on separate computer systems that are not directly accessible from the Internet.

When you transmit personal information, access to our Web server is limited to Web browsers that meet our security standards of encryption. We ensure that your personal and financial information is encrypted or scrambled when it is transmitted between your computer and our Web servers. This ensures that computer hackers and other Internet users cannot view or alter the data being transmitted. Our standard for encryption is the 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer Version 3.0 (SSLV3) protocol. This is one of the most secure forms of encryption available in North America. The encryption is a typical requirement for Web-based services, such as online banking or shopping, where securing personal information is a priority.

What you should do to ensure security

You have to follow some security guidelines to do online transactions with us. We also suggest precautions that you should take to maximize your protection. For a secure transaction, you must use a Web browser that meets our security standards. Your browser is automatically tested before you begin a transaction. In addition, you should keep your browser and operating system up-to-date by regularly applying available patches.

You should have anti-virus software on your computer and update it regularly. You may consider installing a personal firewall (some of which are free) on your computer to help control connections between your computer and other computers on the Internet, and to notify you of any attempted attacks on your system. For many of the electronic services we offer, you have to enable your browser's cookies. Like with many Internet Web sites, the cookies help us to establish a secure session between you and us. Using cookies for this purpose does not put your computer or personal information at risk. We do not store any personal information in the cookies.

You should clear the browser's cookie cache by closing and reopening your browser. By taking this step, any cookie data that was saved in your cache during your visit to our Web site will be removed from your computer and will not be available to any unauthorized user.