Canada’s federal cyber defence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), has identified India as a cybersecurity threat to Canada for the first time in its latest National Cyber Threat Assessment (NCTA). The report, released this week, continues to list China as Canada’s greatest cyber adversary, but points to India as an emerging concern in cyber-espionage.
The report warns that India has been developing a cyber program potentially targeting Canadian government entities. CSE Chief Caroline Xavier highlighted that as diplomatic relations between Canada and India worsen, cyber activities by India against Canadian individuals and organizations could increase. “As Canada and India potentially may have some tensions, it is possible that we may see India want to flex those cyber threat actions against Canadians,” Xavier said.
The Canada-India relationship has cooled significantly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments linking India to alleged violent crimes against Sikh separatists in Canada. These incidents include suspected Indian government involvement in two murders on Canadian soil last year, as well as other serious charges.
Beyond India and China, the NCTA lists Russia and North Korea as persistent cyber adversaries. It also notes a rise in sophisticated cyber criminal activities, fueled in part by advancements in artificial intelligence, which enables increasingly complex attacks on Canadian targets.
