When the police expose the tricks of the spies

The Canadian police and intelligence services are currently touring the managers responsible for essential infrastructure in Quebec to help them protect certain sensitive sectors against the interference of powers such as China and Russia. In meeting with The Pressthose responsible for this program have agreed to expose some of the tricks used by foreign spies today.


The scene can take place in a parking lot near a laboratory, a hydroelectric dam, a telecommunications company or a government department. A spy drives between cars and drops USB drives on the floor, hoping that a curious employee will pick one up and plug it into his computer to see what’s on it. On the small computer support, a virus is ready to infect the organization’s network to open a breach for the benefit of foreign agents.

“When they do that, they don’t just take a key. They can “escape” 10, 20, 30! says Corporal Rudin Gjoka of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

“Or they’ll show up at the reception as if they were coming for a job interview. And they’re going to tell the receptionist that they forgot their resume, that they dropped it in the water. They’ll pull out a thumb drive and ask an assistant, “God, can you help me print a copy?” It’s the same principle, ”adds his colleague, Sergeant Camille Habel.

Some talented spies study their target in order to exploit their interests to lower their guard, says Mr. Gjojka. For example, if they hear a worker mentioning his love of cats, they will try to approach him by simulating an emergency with their own pet, then try to steal secrets from him.

“Hostile” actions by China and Russia

Rudin Gjoka and Camille Habel manage the Critical Infrastructure Program within the RCMP’s National Security Response and Prevention Team for the Quebec territory. The RCMP created this program to increase the protection of infrastructure “essential to the health, safety or economic well-being” of Canadians, as well as to the “effective functioning of government”. In practice, this mainly means the transport, energy, telecommunications and financial sectors.

In Quebec, RCMP officers work closely with agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for their awareness campaign. Joint teams of Canadian police and intelligence services meet with managers from the private sector or government agencies to educate them on the latest threats.

In these meetings, various threats are discussed: attacks by terrorists or other extremist groups, computer hackers, betrayal by an employee with bad intentions internally. But these days, the clandestine activities of foreign powers occupy an important part of the discussions.

During an information meeting with The Press Before Christmas, CSIS officials who cannot be identified due to the top-secret nature of their work confirmed that they had seen a “persistent rise” in foreign interference and espionage in Quebec, as elsewhere in Canada. Counterintelligence officials point out that many countries use their intelligence agencies to gain access to technological advances, including the secrets of local companies.

CSIS has repeatedly identified China and Russia as foreign powers that engage in “hostile” activities on Canadian soil. The RCMP has made arrests that confirm this trend: the arrest of a Canadian soldier for spying for Russia in 2012, the arrest of a former employee of the Canadian Space Agency accused of using his status to favoring China in 2021 and, more recently, the arrest of a Hydro-Québec employee for espionage.

More “subtle” than James Bond

The authorities want the managers of the organizations that are potential targets to be well informed of the latest trends in this area.

“The leaders, do they know what espionage is? The consequences of espionage? The motives of the spies? », Illustrates Corporal Gjoka.

This is often misunderstood. When we say espionage, people think James Bond. When we say national security, people think of an explosion in the subway. It may be more subtle than that.

Camille Habel, RCMP Sergeant

Managers are, for example, asked to pay attention to employees who request access to confidential data that they do not need in the course of their work or to those who wander in secure areas outside normal hours. of work.

But the awareness sessions also invite them to reflect on what is happening in their own lives. A classic case, quoted by Corporal Gjoka: “When you are in bars and suddenly you are approached by beautiful boys, beautiful girls, ask yourself the question: is everything normal? Does my company currently have something that other entities want to have? »

Valuable links

Managers are also given advice on traveling to certain countries: they are advised to bring a phone specially for the occasion in order to prevent a foreign intelligence service from compromising their personal phone, they are told to be careful where they go to plug in their devices, what they say out loud in a hotel room that may be tapped, what they leave in the hotel safe “whose everyone over there knows the code.

In the field of academic research, CSIS officials say they help Canadian scientists determine whether partners who offer them to collaborate on research in certain countries such as China may pose a threat to Canada’s national security, because of their links with the government or the military, for example.

CSIS and the RCMP confirm that these meetings with decision-makers on Quebec soil enabled them to establish valuable contacts. Some executives working in sensitive sectors call back later to report something fishy they have noticed. “There are a lot of investigations that have started because of that,” says Rudin Gjoka.

“It puts a face, it gives a point of contact. For us, a person we meet has a lot of value,” says Camille Habel.


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