ottawa –
China’s offensive hacking efforts are the most active national cyber threat to Canada, the country’s signals intelligence agency said Wednesday in its latest alert about covert activities by China.
in New threat assessmentthe Canadian Communications and Security Agency also cited Iran as a threat, saying Russian cyber programs seek to confront and destabilize Canada and its allies.
The agency’s report comes amid worsening bilateral relations between China and Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in April that China had tried to interfere in Canada’s last two elections.
China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China, regularly dismisses such accusations.
“China’s extensive and aggressive cyber program poses the most sophisticated and active national cyber threat to Canada today,” the agency’s report said.
The agency said China’s hacking served sophisticated political and commercial purposes, including espionage, intellectual property theft, negative impact, and cross-border repression, and said the scale, modus operandi, and ambition of China’s cyber program ” I won’t lose to anyone,” he added.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa could not be reached for comment.
Canada’s main spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said in May that China’s persistent election interference could undermine Canadian democracy.
