Canadian coronavirus research under threat of state-sponsored hacking: spy agencies

The joint statement came from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) after a warning from United States intelligence agencies who claim that China-backed hackers are trying to steal American coronavirus research including treatments, vaccines and testing.

The Canadian statement however, did not point to specific state actors targeting the research or say whether there have been specific attacks.

“COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our country and the world. This uncertain environment is ripe for exploitation by threat actors seeking to advance their own interests,” reads the CSEC/CSIS statement.

CSIS noted that there is “an increased risk of foreign interference and espionage due to the extraordinary effort of our businesses and research centres.”

“As a result, CSIS is working with these organizations to ensure that their work and proprietary information remains safely in their control. Its focus is on protecting Canadian intellectual property from these threats — and jobs and economic interests with it.”

The agencies added that during the pandemic, the majority of threatening activity that has been looked at so far was criminal in nature. CSE has been contacting health organizations with advice on ways to prevent hacking.

“The Cyber Centre has and continues to recommend that Canadian health organizations remain vigilant and take the time to ensure that they are applying cyber defence best practices, including increased monitoring of network logs, reminding employees to be alert to suspicious emails, use secure teleworking practices, ensuring that servers and critical systems are patched for all known security vulnerabilities,” said the agencies.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a statement on Wednesday accusing cybercriminals associated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of trying to steal intellectual property to do with coronavirus from the U.S.

“The United States condemns attempts by cyber actors and non-traditional collectors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to steal U.S. intellectual property and data related to COVID-19 research,” Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State said in a statement.

“The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective and efficient treatment options.”

The warnings follow a $1 billion promise from Ottawa toward a Canadian research and medical strategy to fight coronavirus. The money will allow universities and research labs throughout the country to study possible vaccines, treatments and blood testing.

The CSE warned research organizations and companies in March that state-sponsored hackers may try to use the pandemic situation to steal information or even compromise computer systems.

“These actors may attempt to gain intelligence on COVID-19 response efforts and potential political responses to the crisis or steal ongoing key research towards a vaccine or other medical remedies, or other topics of interest to the threat actor,” said the agency in a March 20 note.