OTTAWA | It’s high time to take cyber hackers seriously, like those who targeted Hydro-Quebec yesterday, because they are the biggest strategic threat to Canada and could even put lives at risk, warns a former top boss of the information.
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“The threat has existed for several years, we say that our critical infrastructures are at risk. But companies don’t take alerts seriously […]. what we see [avec la multiplication des cyberattaques des derniers jours] it is the result of this laxity”, coward Artur Wilczynski, ex-director general of the operations of information to the Center of the security of telecommunications (CST).
The CSE reports directly to the Ministry of Defence. It is the unit of the intelligence service in charge of information technology security.
From the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the center urged electricity suppliers and banks to strengthen their defenses against increased risk.
A year later, the sites of Hydro-Québec and two banks, but also those of ports and an oil giant, have all been hit by Russian hackers who are against Canada’s support for Ukraine . These are critical entities essential to national security.
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serious consequences
The shutdown of the Hydro-Quebec site is particularly problematic for consumers as the province recovers from last week’s ice storm.
And even if the state-owned company assures that hackers have not accessed its databases and control centers, this threat is very real, warns Mr. Wilczynski.
He explains that hackers could next time close access to computer systems that control dams, for example, in which case “there would be potentially very, very significant and dangerous consequences for human security”.
“Just imagine if we attacked Hydro-Quebec and succeeded in shutting down electricity production in the middle of February in the northeastern United States, not just in Quebec, because we supply electricity to Americans”, explained the Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital, Éric Caire, just a year ago.
Prelude to other attacks
For Mr. Wilczynski, the attacks of the past few days have served to place red flags on vulnerable critical entities for future action.
“They show us that they found the easy targets and that if they want to attack the more critical systems, they will continue their efforts,” he said.
Last fall, CSE warned in its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2023-2024 that “State-sponsored threat actors target critical infrastructure to obtain information through espionage, prepositioning in the event of possible hostilities and to use force and intimidation”.
15 ENTITIES HIT
The group of Russian hackers NoName claims to have attacked about fifteen Canadian sites since Monday
- Laurentian Bank
- TD Bank
- CP
- Husky Energy
- Hydro Quebec
- Matrox
- Nova Bus
- Alberni Harbor
(Vancouver) - Port of Halifax
- Port of Hamilton-Oshawa
- Port of Montreal
- Port of Quebec
- Prevost
- Senate of Canada
- Prime Minister of Canada
Justin Trudeau