Increased foreign threat to COVID-19 research
Date: May 15, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: CSIS
Issue: On May 14, 2020, CSIS and CSE warned of increased risk to Canadian health organizations, research centres, and businesses.
Proposed Response:
- The global COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment that threat actors, including foreign states, seek to exploit to advance their interests.
- This includes using espionage to steal intellectual property, whether by cyber or other means.
- While these threats are not new, the urgent response to the pandemic has heightened the risk to Canadian health organizations, businesses and research centres who are working tirelessly to support Canada’s COVID-19 response.
- That is why CSIS and CSE are engaging directly with businesses, research entities, and different levels of government to ensure they are aware of these threats and have the tools they need to protect their work.
- Our agencies are also regularly engaging with key allied partners to confront these global threats.
- I can assure you that the Government of Canada will continue to take every measure to protect Canada’s economic security and ensure a strong response to the pandemic.
Increased foreign threat to COVID-19 research
Background:
On May 14, 2020, CSIS and CSE released a statement to media of increased risk to Canadian health organizations, research centres, and businesses, due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the statement, CSIS specifically identifies “an increased risk of foreign interference and espionage” against Canadian businesses and research centres, while CSE’s Cyber Centre assesses a heightened cyber security risk to Canadian health organizations. No county is identified as the source of threats, nor is there any reference to a specific attack.
The statement mentions that CSIS and CSE are proactively engaging those heightened threats by raising public awareness, issuing cyber threat alerts, providing tailored advice and guidance. There is also mention of a partnership between the Cyber Centre and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, and of constant collaboration and information sharing with Canada’s allies.
The statement adds that, while state sponsored actors have greater interest in Canadian intellectual property during the pandemic, most of the malicious threat activity observed was of a criminal nature.
Contacts:
Prepared by: N/A
Approved by: [REDACTED]
- Date modified: