The Canadian government warned Friday that “a sophisticated state-sponsored threat actor from the People’s Republic of China” has been scanning the cyber defenses of important public entities.
“Reconnaissance scanning is not an indication of compromise” but may precede malicious actions, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said in a statement. The targeted organizations included government departments and agencies, federal political parties, the House of Commons and Senate, critical infrastructure, defense, media and think tanks. The scans have occurred throughout the year.
“It is the equivalent of someone walking around a building to see if there is an alarm or security camera, or trying the windows and doors to see which ones are unlocked,” the center said, urging groups to bolster their defenses.
Canada is in the midst of a high-profile public inquiry over foreign interference in its politics, finding that China made some attempts to meddle in the last two elections.
[On Oct. 15], Bloomberg News reported fears among UK officials that Chinese state actors have made widespread and likely successful efforts to access British critical infrastructure networks.
Photograph: A Chinese national flag waves at the Chinese consulate after the United States ordered China to close its doors on July 22, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)
Related:
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Willis Re Jumpstarts US Expansion With Buy of BMS Re, US 
Death of Irish Teens in Crash Prompts Social Media Warning 
Tornado Alley’s on the Move and Creating New Risk Concerns, Modeler Says 
Seven People Charged in $100M Workers’ Compensation Fraud Operation in Florida 
