Cyber snoops have feds on guard

OTTAWA — The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in espionage attacks against Canada, according to a new report from Parliament's special intelligence committee, which repeatedly singles out concerns about the threat posed by China and Russia.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said the pandemic has provided extra incentive for foreign states to target Canada's health, science and technology sectors, particularly when it comes to vaccine research.

Russia in particular is blamed by Canadian intelligence agencies as “primarily responsible for this espionage, using clandestine cyber-operations to steal proprietary data,” according the committee's report, which was tabled Monday in Parliament.

However, the report also flagged concerns about China when it comes to espionage and foreign interference in Canada. It accused both of using cyber-operations to target Canadian governments, companies and academic institutions.

“When it comes to espionage and cyber, this has markedly been affected by COVID,” said Liberal MP David McGuinty, chairman of the committee.

“And yes, the two core actors in this space remain Russia and China.”

The report was the latest from the intelligence committee, which was established in 2017 to provide independent oversight of Canada's national security apparatus and includes members of Parliament and senators from all major political parties.