According to a top executive at Canada’s spy service, the development of the internet made it easier for foreign enemies to steal secrets. Cherie Henderson, a CSIS member, told a defense seminar on Friday that a foreign operative no longer has to approach their target at a bar or restaurant.
They could be sitting at a keyboard in a foreign location, attempting to find a Canadian’s private device on a network system. Henderson claims that in some situations, information obtained online can help enable traditional espionage practicable.
Many countries covet Canada’s cutting-edge technology but are unwilling to take the time to create it themselves, she says. It has gotten more complex, less predictable, and thus more difficult, she noted.
She claims that, in addition to illegal activity such as ransomware assaults, in which digital files are stolen for extortion, cyber actors from hostile governments engage in illicit operations to further their country’s geopolitical, economic, financial, security, and philosophical goals.
As a result, CSIS takes this threat very seriously. One of the most crucial difficulties in defending critical infrastructure is exchanging timely intelligence and ensuring that that information is effective.
Minister Anita Anand, on the other hand, informed the conference that CSE is exchanging information and intelligence with Ukraine in order to help it protect itself against attacks during Russia’s invasion. Anand noted that Canada is also collaborating with NATO allies to plan for such unconventional threats, including cybercrime.
Anand went on to explain her numerous priorities. She stated that it includes initiatives to strengthen continental defense capabilities as well as protect Canadian autonomy in the Arctic.