NEW DELHI: Amid the diplomatic tiff between both nations, Canada has identified India as a threat to its cyber security for the first time. Canada said India is preparing a programme for espionage activities against other countries.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Saturday dismissed Canada' claim of declaring India a cyber threat.MEA spokesman Randir Jaisewal said it was another Canadian strategy to attack India.Earlier Canada has also rejected Canada's alegations against Union Hime Minister Amit Shah that he was involved in violent attacks of Khalistanis in Canada.
In its biennial National Cyber Threat Assessment (NCTA) released Wednesday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is clear: India is building a cyber program and is likely using it against the Canadian government to commit espionage.
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.
It also warns that as Canada’s diplomatic relationship with India deteriorates, the latter’s cyber threat activity against Canadian individuals and organizations will increase.
The Canada-India relationship is near-glacial since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly linked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to a number of serious crimes against Sikh separatists in Canada.
That includes suspected ties between the “highest levels” of the Indian government to the murder of two individuals on Canadian soil last year and a number of other violent crimes.
“India is one of those emerging threats that we’ve seen, ” CSE Chief Caroline Xavier said during a press conference Wednesday. “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.”
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."