Companies and other private sector institutions will be required to report ransomware incidents and other cyberattacks to the government under a federal bill to be introduced today.

The legislation aims to embody the Liberal government's efforts to protect critical infrastructure following last month's announcement of a ban on Chinese vendors Huawei Technologies and ZTE from Canadian mobile networks.

Public Safety Minister "Marco Mendicino" said the Liberals will introduce legislation that goes further, taking additional steps to protect infrastructure in the communications, finance, energy, and transportation sectors.

He said it will establish a framework to better protect national security vital systems and give the government a new tool to respond to emerging threats in cyberspace.

Attacks on companies, universities, and even hospitals by cybercriminals who hold data hostage for ransom have become alarmingly common.

Some targeted organizations preferred to pay the demanded fees in an attempt to quietly resolve the issue, making it difficult for officials to get a full picture of the phenomenon.