Canada Reveals Iran One of Country’s Top Foreign Cyber Threats

Canada has named Iran as one of the top four countries which gathers information to "harm and threaten Canadian citizens" and to "interfere with political systems and critical infrastructure."

As per the official statement released on Monday, three Canadian ministers identified Iran as one of four countries - China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea - engaged in extensive campaigns to compromise government and private sector computer systems.

"Foreign interference, enabled by sophisticated cyber tools, poses one of the most serious threats to Canada’s national security, economic prosperity and sovereignty, as well as our way of life," the statement read.

In its annual report released in May, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) highlighted the cyber attacks by the Islamic Republic that target Canada.

“Iran combines offensive cyber operations with cyber-enabled influence operations to assist in the pursuit of its geopolitical goals,” stated the CSIS report. “Canada remains a target for opportunistic credential harvesting, phishing attacks, and exploitation of digital infrastructure to facilitate future targeting opportunities against individuals of interest.”

Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) noted that Iran, Russia, and China will likely attempt to influence elections in the US and other countries in 2024.

In February, Iranian-Canadian MP Ali Ehsassi called for an investigation into Tehran's possible interference in the election.

“Given the catalog of malign and illegal activities committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Canadian soil, it would be naïve to believe that the Iranian regime has any compunction to shape public opinion in Canada,” he wrote to the Foreign Interference Commission, requesting testimony and relevant documents from Iranian-Canadians and others with substantial interests in the case.