By Rebel News | Created at 2024-10-31 20:09:00 | Updated at 2024-11-06 21:40:20
6 days ago
Canadian intelligence officials claim Chinese hackers ‘compromised’ at least 20 federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous government networks in Canada, ‘collecting communications and other valuable information’ over the past five years.
Canadian intelligence confirmed Wednesday that China “compromised” our institutions for the past five years to collect intel on key targets.
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canada’s leading agency on cybersecurity, flagged the People's Republic of China (PRC) as “the most comprehensive cyber security threat facing Canada today,” in a recent intelligence assessment.
“We're often asked, what keeps us up at night? Well, pick the page,” CSE chief Caroline Xavier told reporters.
The assessment claimed the scale of Chinese intrusion is “second to none” against federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous government networks in Canada, “collecting communications and other valuable information,” the agency confirmed.
“For example, provincial and territorial governments are likely a valuable target given that they have decision-making power over regional trade and commerce, including resource extraction (e.g., energy and critical minerals),” the report said.
At least 20 Canadian networks have been compromised by China, the agency said. Xavier refused to name government agencies and departments impacted by the barrage of hostilities.
“The information collected is also likely used to support the PRC's malign influence and interference activities against Canada's democratic processes and institutions,” it said.
A prior CSE report claimed China exploited Canadian society with great intensity, but did not clarify the origins of specific cyberattacks in recent years.
The agency's automated defences protected Canada from 2.3 trillion “malicious actions” in 2022, it said.
The CSE previously issued a notice that explained China was generally involved in cyberattacks, but did not say in which attacks or how many.
An unnamed research institute, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), compiled extensive profiles on Canadian parliamentarians of Chinese descent in 2022, two sources told the Globe and Mail.
Among the tactics typically employed by China and other foreign actors include attempted DDoS attacks against election authority websites, accessing voter personal information or information relating to the election, and vulnerability scanning on online election systems.
Then-defence Minister Anita Anand said to expect more warnings by the CSE as foreign actors increase their cyberattacks on Canada.
A 2021 Washington Post report revealed China used surveillance networks to equip its government agencies with information on Western politicians and public figures. The CSE confirmed those concerns in its latest assessment.
“The PRC government very likely leverages Chinese-owned technology platforms, some of which likely co-operate with the PRC's intelligence and security services, to facilitate transnational repression,” said the most recent report, which did not name platforms.
A recent Blacklock’s report said Chinese spies targeted political staffers in a bid to influence Canadian elections. Chinese agents are “largely pragmatic” and tend to pursue “paths of least resistance,” reads a nine-page CSIS memo.
“This occurs in many ways such as ensuring specific community groups are not seen or responded to, framing talking points to reflect Party narratives or holding public events at specific locations of interest to China e.g. a business owned by a People’s Republic proxy or a culturally significant location such as a city hall or legislative building,” said the memo People’s Republic Of China Foreign Interference In Canada: A Critical National Security Threat.
“Foreign interference activities often transcend party lines, ideologies and ethnic backgrounds and often take place over a period of several years,” wrote analysts.
China tried swaying MP votes condemning its mistreatment of Muslims, testimony at the Foreign Interference Commission revealed.
Documents tabled by CSIS revealed “initial” efforts were made to influence an unspecified number of MPs when it came to a 2021 motion condemning China’s “genocide” of Uyghur and Turkic Muslim minorities.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
