The Canadian government issued a warning on Friday that public entities have been targeted by a “sophisticated state-sponsored threat actor from the People’s Republic of China” who has been scanning their cyber defenses. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security stated that while “reconnaissance scanning is not an indication of compromise”, it may precede malicious actions. The targeted organizations include government departments and agencies, federal political parties, the House of Commons and Senate, critical infrastructure, defense, media, and think tanks. Scans have been occurring throughout the year.
The center likened the scans to someone walking around a building to check for alarms or security cameras, or trying windows and doors to see which ones are unlocked. The center urged groups to strengthen their defenses.
Canada is currently conducting a high-profile public inquiry into foreign interference in its politics, which has found that China made some attempts to meddle in the last two elections.
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