Canada identifies India as cyber threat for the first time but its greatest enemy is another Asian nation

Amid the diplomatic tiff between both nations, Canada has identified India as a threat to its cyber security for the first time. The biennial National Cyber Threat Assessment released on Wednesday claims that India was creating a cyber programme, which it will use for espionage activities.

The agency has warned that India’s cyber threat activity against Canadian individuals and organisations will increase as the diplomatic ties between the countries worsen. The head of the agency terms India as an “emerging threat” and would want to flex those cyber threat actions against Canadians.

But, the biggest threat to Canada’s cyber security comes not from India, but another country. It is China.

The agency report terms China as the greatest threat to Canada, above all other state and non-state actors, and its capabilities to inflict damage on Canada’s national security remain “second to none.”

As per the report, Chinese cybercriminals compromised at least 20 networks connected to the Canadian government. “Among our adversaries, the PRC cyber program’s scale, tradecraft, and ambitions in cyberspace are second to none,” reads the report.

The Chinese agents have compromised government data for the past five years and have managed to collect valuable information. However, there is no mention as to whether classified or personal data had been stolen by Chinese criminals.

Beijing’s agents have also conducted spy activities against federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous government networks in Canada.

But, why is China’s spying on government networks? The spy agency says this is to ensure that Beijing has an advantage in China-Canada bilateral relations and commercial matters. The Chinese spies dedicate significant time and resources to study the target. The provincial and territorial governments are also targets as they have decision-making power over regional trade and commerce, including resource extraction.

“The information collected is also likely used to support the People’s Republic of China’s malign influence and interference activities against Canada’s democratic processes and institutions,” the report added.

Canada had earlier too warned that social media platform TikTok is being used by China to access personal data, posing a “threat to the way we live”. China also uses its cyber abilities to support Beijing’s goal of silencing activists, journalists and diaspora communities.

Besides India and China, the report also names Russia, Iran and North Korea. While Russian cyber threat actors target the Canadian government, military, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks, Iran uses an “aggressive” cyber operations program to “coerce, harass, and repress” its opponents and critics.