Chinese hackers non alone attacked primal federal departments: they also cracked into the reckoner organization of the House of Commons, targeting MPs alongside large ethnic Chinese constituencies, CTV News has learned.
Sources tell Canada's surreptitious cyber spy means -- the Communications Security Establishment -- tracked the hacking functioning to the Chinese diplomatic mission inwards Ottawa in addition to to reckoner servers inwards Beijing.
Toronto MP Derek Lee said Canada needs to demo it's capable of fighting back.
"It's unacceptable in addition to I intend nosotros should concord out some threat -- a counter-strike threat," he said.
But Canada mightiness hold upwards falling behind when it comes to defending -- in addition to retaliating -- against such attacks. U.K. spends $1 billion on cyber safety in addition to the the States $55 billion, piece Canada has a budget of $90 million.
Meanwhile, safety experts tell the Chinese hackers who guide maintain targeted Canadian authorities computers are only the latest inwards a moving ridge of cyberspace spies, in addition to Ottawa needs to bolster our online defences.
John Thompson, president of the Toronto-based Mackenzie Institute, said the Chinese role hackers to systematically sift through countries' economic, political in addition to armed forces databases.
"It's got whole regiments inwards its armed forces of hackers. You're non talking most person inwards an Internet café running off a laptop," he told CTV's Power Play. "You're talking most hundreds of dedicated people who are every bit well-trained every bit a hacker to hold upwards inwards systemic attempts to probe authorities computers, corporate computers all over the world."
Thompson said Chinese hackers guide maintain hacked, or tried to hack into the systems of dozens of governments in addition to major corporations around the world.
"They've penetrated computers inwards a release of governments over the terminal few years in addition to made attempts on many more," he said. "It's non only the government, it's every Canadian corporation, every Canadian human being of affairs who deals alongside China."
He said the latest Chinese cyber assault should audio a alarm bell inwards Ottawa that federal authorities computers postulate to beef upwards their security.
"We postulate to actually amend our defences. This is the A-Team every bit far every bit cybernetic tidings gathering is concerned in addition to nosotros postulate to develop our defences in addition to countermeasures accordingly."
Dragos Ruiu, a reckoner safety consultant, said the Chinese hackers prey on the weakest link inwards whatsoever reckoner safety system: the users.
"It boils downward to human involvement: if you lot role the same password for your authorities reckoner every bit for your Facebook line of piece of employment concern human relationship (or) for your Twitter line of piece of employment concern human relationship in addition to when 1 gets compromised, in addition to hence your operate reckoner gets compromised," he told Power Play.
And given plenty fourth dimension in addition to money, they tin penetrate whatsoever reckoner security, he said.
"The 1 dominion amid penetration testers is that you lot tin pretty much suspension into anything given plenty fourth dimension in addition to resources. There is no organization that is impregnable."
Ed Turzanski, a senior boyfriend at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said Chinese hackers brand such attacks because hence far, at that topographic point guide maintain been no consequences.
"As long every bit people allow them to, they'll overstep on to engage inwards this sort of activity," Turzanski told CTV News Channel Th inwards a telephone interview from Philadelphia.
He said Western countries must position line per unit of measurement area on Beijing past times banding together in addition to letting the Chinese authorities know that these electronic incursions are non acceptable.
"Turnabout's fair play," he said. "They're non the alone ones who guide maintain people alongside reckoner skills. If they desire to play this game, nosotros tin play oil too."
The latest attacks come upwards every bit Finance Minister Jim Flaherty prepares for a weekend G20 coming together inwards Paris, where his Chinese counterpart volition hold upwards inwards attendance.
Treasury Board spokesman Jay Denney confirmed belatedly Midweek that at that topographic point was an "unauthorized attempt" to access reckoner networks at Canada's Treasury Board.
It was non clear how many hack attempts were made, but the attacks left federal employees inwards primal departments without Internet access temporarily.
Denney said at that topographic point are no indications that whatsoever information was compromised inwards the "unauthorized attempt."
Sources told CTV that Canadian Security Intelligence Service advised authorities officials non to cite mainland People's Republic of China every bit the province where the attacks were launched.
But Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a sometime CSIS tidings officer, believes the hacking was definitely a Chinese spying operation.
"The Chinese authorities volition deny that they are involved," but they almost for sure knew of the hacking, Juneau-Katsuya suggested.
He says the Chinese telephone phone them "patriotic hackers," reckoner experts who are tolerated past times the Chinese authorities in addition to allowed to role the Internet inwards club to target unusual authorities institutions.
"When they hollo back sensitive information, they plow in addition to give it to the authorities in addition to the authorities tin in addition to hence role it. But the authorities tin in addition to hence claim that they didn't produce it," Juneau-Katsuya said.
"At the goal of the day, you've got Chinese hacker spies that are… stealing sensitive information inwards club to seat themselves."
With a study past times CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife in addition to The Canadian Press
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