Canada targeted by Chinese hacking efforts

Canada was noted by its leading cyber agency to have had at least 20 of its government network compromised by Chinese state-sponsored threat operations during the past four years, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Attacks by Chinese hackers have been targeted at Canada's critical infrastructure, with intrusions against U.S. critical infrastructure remaining a significant concern due to "cross-border interoperability and interdependence," according to a report from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. Aside from conducting cyberespionage activities against Canada's innovation sector, which is poised to exacerbate amid escalating tensions between both nations, China has also been working to curtail dissidents and undermine democracy, noted the CCCS. "In addition to fulfilling PRC intelligence collection priorities, the information collected is also likely used to support the PRC's malign influence and interference activities against Canada's democratic processes and institutions," said the report, which also took note of state-sponsored cyber threats from Russia, Iran, North Korea, and India. Such a report comes after Canadian networks were noted by the CCCS to have been subjected to Chinese reconnaissance efforts.