REGIONAL · CANADA

CSA Staff Notice 33-322 - Registered Firm Cybersecurity
Assessment & Implementation

CSA Staff Notice 33-322 sets out the Canadian Securities Administrators' current cybersecurity expectations for registered firms. It was published 15 July 2026 after a review of 73 firms. It hangs off section 11.1 of National Instrument 31-103, which requires a registered firm to have a compliance system reasonably designed to manage the risks of its business, and the CSA now reads cybersecurity squarely into that obligation.

Who This Applies To

Canadian organizationsCSA-registered firmsMSPs and their clientsLean IT teams carrying an audit

What CSA Staff Notice 33-322 Covers

The CSA reviewed 73 firms before publishing the notice on 15 July 2026. It ties cybersecurity to section 11.1 of National Instrument 31-103, which requires a registered firm to have a compliance system reasonably designed to manage the risks of its business.

The notice covers five practice areas: policies and procedures, training, risk assessments and controls, third-party service providers, and the incident response plan. This applies to every registered firm in Canada, including portfolio managers, exempt market dealers, and investment fund managers that are not CIRO Dealer Members.

Official source: https://www.securities-administrators.ca/news/csa-publishes-updated-cybersecurity-findings-and-guidance-for-registered-firms/

ThreeShield's CISSP- and CISA-certified assessors run the CSA Staff Notice 33-322 engagement, and Lavawall® collects the technical evidence continuously, so your posture is current the day an auditor, insurer, or client asks for it, not just at renewal.

Where the Work Splits

CSA Staff Notice 33-322 requirementLavawall® collectsThreeShield delivers
Multi-factor authentication status✓ Continuously—
Patch and vulnerability posture✓ Continuously—
Encryption at rest and in transit✓ Continuously—
Access and audit-log review✓ Continuously—
Risk assessment and scoping⚑ Platform dataCISSP/CISA-led
Policies, procedures, and evidence package—Written by ThreeShield

Frequently Asked Questions

It does if you are a registered firm in Canada. That includes portfolio managers, exempt market dealers, and investment fund managers that are not CIRO Dealer Members. We confirm scope in the first call, at no charge.

A gap assessment against CSA Staff Notice 33-322 usually takes a few weeks. Closing the gaps and standing up the evidence takes longer, and that is where most of the work sits, so the total depends on your starting point. Because Lavawall® is already collecting the technical evidence while we work, you do not restart from zero at reassessment.

Yes. Many clients begin self-serve on Lavawall®, then bring in ThreeShield for the assessment, the policies, and the sign-off once they know where the gaps are. The three engagement models below are meant to be moved between.

Three Ways to Engage, from DIY to Done-for-You

ThreeShield meets you at your current security maturity. Every level includes Lavawall®.

Self-Serve

DIY via Lavawall®

For lean IT teams and cost-conscious organizations with internal security capacity

  • Lavawall® GRC with CSA Staff Notice 33-322 control mapping
  • Continuous automated evidence collection
  • Live compliance dashboard and score
  • Policy template library
  • AI-generated status reports
Start with Lavawall®
Recommended for MSPs & Lean IT

Supported

Expert guidance alongside your team, ideal for MSPs and organizations with some internal IT capacity

  • Everything in the DIY tier
  • CISSP/CISA gap assessment
  • Prioritized remediation roadmap
  • Policy and procedure development
  • Quarterly compliance review calls
  • MSP white-label available
Get Supported Engagement
Fully Managed

Done-for-You

Full compliance delivery, managed end to end by ThreeShield

  • Everything in the Supported tier
  • Full compliance program management
  • CISSP/CISA-executed formal assessment
  • Detailed findings methodology
  • Complete documentation package
  • Annual reassessment included
Book Done-for-You

Ready to Get Compliant with CSA Staff Notice 33-322?

Choose your engagement model: DIY via Lavawall®, supported by ThreeShield's CISSP/CISA team, or fully done-for-you. Every model includes continuous monitoring, so you stay compliant between audits.

Book a Scoping Call

DIY · Supported · Done-for-You