Canadian intelligence officers have warned federal departments about a person they consider is making an attempt to acquire delicate info for China’s spy companies, International Information has discovered.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed on Friday that it had issued an “espionage advisory” to authorities departments and universities, notifying them concerning the particular person.
“We will verify that an espionage advisory was shared with sure federal departments and universities relating to an individual who’s trying to acquire delicate and privileged Canadian info on behalf of the Folks’s Republic of China intelligence companies,” a CSIS spokesperson stated.
“CSIS suggested recipients to make use of excessive warning when coping with this particular person and keep away from discussing confidential and delicate info with them. We additionally suggested that suspicious encounters with this particular person must be reported to the suitable safety officers.”
The CSIS spokesperson, Eric Balsam, stated the intelligence service issued such warnings as a part of its effort to “shield and safeguard delicate and privileged Canadian info.”
“We don’t hesitate to take measures, together with the issuance of espionage advisories, to warn stakeholders inside and outdoors the Authorities of Canada, as applicable, about nationwide safety threats.”
In its response to International Information, CSIS wouldn’t say precisely when the advisory was shared, besides that it was “in current weeks.”
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Nor did CSIS title the person believed to be searching for info for China, or the departments and universities which might be allegedly being focused.
However the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) is taken into account Canada’s high counter-intelligence menace, and has lengthy tried to steal analysis and expertise from Western international locations.
The primary suspect to be prosecuted in Canada for financial espionage, electrical car battery researcher Yuesheng Wang, was arrested in 2022 for allegedly acquiring commerce secrets and techniques for China whereas employed at Hydro-Québec.
He confronted new costs final 12 months.
The federal government introduced in 2021 {that a} scientist at Winnipeg’s infectious illness laboratory and her husband had been fired over issues about allegedly sharing info with China.
“The PRC has repeatedly proven that it’s prepared to make use of clandestine and misleading means to accumulate mental property and rising applied sciences,” CSIS stated in its annual report final month.
Beijing is especially fascinated about getting its fingers on Canada’s synthetic intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and aerospace expertise to spice up its trade and army, the report stated.
“With its superior economic system and cutting-edge analysis experience, in 2024, Canada was a frequent goal of pernicious PRC actions that threatened Canada’s financial prosperity,” it added.
In response to “hostile actors” searching for Canadian house expertise, CSIS stated it had considerably elevated the variety of safety briefings it supplied to these working within the area.
“These briefings raised consciousness of the growing threats to the Canadian house sector and sought to harden the Canadian house sector in opposition to espionage and sabotage perpetrated by adversarial international states, together with Russia and China.”
Final week, Business Minister Mélanie Joly stated the federal authorities had ordered Chinese language surveillance digital camera system firm Hikvision to shut its Canadian enterprise and depart the nation over national security issues.
The Hogue Fee recognized China as “essentially the most lively perpetrator of international interference concentrating on Canada’s democratic establishments. The PRC views Canada as a high-priority goal.”
China additionally “poses essentially the most refined and lively cyber menace to Canada and CSIS assesses it as more and more utilizing social media and the Web for disinformation campaigns involving elections,” the Fee wrote.
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