RCMP, CSIS warn companies about foreign tech suppliers

Canadian companies should watch out when they use technology supplied by state-owned companies from countries that want to steal corporate secrets, the country’s security agencies have warned them.

The RCMP organized two workshops last March — in Calgary and Toronto — to raise awareness about threats to critical systems, including espionage and foreign interference, cyberattacks, terrorism and sabotage, newly disclosed documents show.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service materials prepared for the workshops advise that “non-like-minded countries,” state-owned enterprises and affiliated companies are engaged in a global pursuit of technology and know-how driven by economic and military ambitions.

The materials were released in response to an access-to-information request.

The heavily censored records do not go into detail about specific countries. But the presentation does include a passage from a 2017 U.S. government report saying competitors such as China steal American intellectual property valued at hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

In addition, CSIS openly warned in 2016 that Russia and China were targeting Canada’s classified information and advanced technology, as well as government officials and systems.

The intelligence community’s concerns emerge as Canada considers allowing Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to take part in developing a 5G telecommunications network.

Former security officials in Canada and two mem- bers of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have warned against such a move, saying the company’s ties to Beijing could compromise the security of Canada and its closest allies. Huawei has denied engaging in intelligence work on behalf of any government.

The workshops led by the RCMP’s critical infrastructure team highlighted the problem of “supply chain vulnerability” — a back-door tactic to infiltrate systems.

The RCMP did not respond to questions about the sessions.

CSIS spokesman John Townsend said the concerns stem from cases where equipment and related computerized control systems and services are manufactured and installed by companies controlled by or affiliated with a foreign government.

“These foreign governments may pursue not only profitable commercial objectives but may also try to advance their own broader and potentially adverse strategic and economic interests,” he said.