A striking report published by Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) reveals that the country has been the target of state-sponsored cyberattacks for the past five years. The report highlights that China’s cyber operations stand out among these attacks, with at least 20 federal agencies’ systems breached.
Chinese hackers show their skills again!
The biannual National Cyber Threat Assessment reveals that China’s cyberattacks are driven by high-level political and commercial objectives, involving espionage, intellectual property theft, and transnational repression efforts.
The report does not only highlight China. Alongside traditional cyber threats like Russia and Iran, India is newly classified as an “emerging threat.” With diplomatic tensions between Canada and India rising, especially after the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s military and parliament have reportedly become targets for Indian hacktivists.
The report reveals strong evidence that Chinese cyber actors have stolen commercially sensitive data from Canadian companies and institutions. According to the CSE, such activities spike during periods of bilateral tension between the two nations. Experts suggest that China uses this method to closely monitor Canada’s official responses and developments.
Canadian officials state that all detected breaches have been addressed and emphasize that attackers invested significant time and resources to learn the target networks. The CSE predicts that espionage activities will intensify as economic tensions between China and Canada’s allies escalate in the coming period.
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