Canada becoming more vulnerable to hackers: CSIS
'Wide open to intrusion'
Jim Bronskill
Southam News
OTTAWA - Internal studies by Canada's spy agency warn that computer hackers and cyber-terrorists pose a growing threat to vital electronic systems.
An increasing number of criminals, extremists and hostile states can launch attacks on critical networks ranging from power grids to banking systems, says one of the newly declassified reports by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
Canadian networks are particularly vulnerable, notes the CSIS study, Information Operations: Nature and Magnitude of the Threat.
"Assessments made by the private sector indicate that Canadian government installations are wide open to intrusion," reveals the August, 1998, document, obtained by Southam News under the Access to Information Act.
It says the threats will become "more complex and numerous" as rogue groups and individual hackers acquire the widely accessible tools -- computers, modems, telephones and software -- to breach systems and create digital havoc.
"The vulnerabilities of the Canadian information infrastructure are increasing steadily, the means to exploit these weaknesses are readily available and the costs required to attack these vulnerabilities continue to drop," the study found. "Even though the government and the private sector in Canada will act to secure data and networks, the magnitude of the threat posed to the Canadian information infrastructure will rise."
CSIS spokesman Daniel Lambert said the service is working with the Defence Department, police and U.S. agencies to assess the problem. "It's something that we're continuously looking at in terms of our threat and risk assessments, because it is evolving."
While there have been no large-scale computer assaults in Canada, several major companies have been hacked and the Internet Web sites of numerous government agencies, including CSIS, have been breached.
A number of cyber-attacks have caused considerable damage in the United States. A Swedish hacker put Florida's 911 service out of commission, while an American teenager shut down the operations of a regional airport in Massachusetts.
Medical records, financial data, credit histories, tax records and even police files can be manipulated by outsiders.
The growing dependence on computer networks that are increasingly linked to one another means there is "no safe haven," says the report, one of several CSIS briefs and studies on the emerging problem. "Borders have become meaningless. One can communicate, conduct business, shop, move funds and attack computer systems without leaving home or office."
Sophisticated attack software -- often found on the Internet -- can be used to exploit weaknesses and "could threaten national security" if turned against key systems, warns a follow-up study completed in December.
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