Canada last year extended cyber security assistance to Ukraine and Latvia days after the Russian invasion commenced.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand signed two orders bringing the electronic information and network systems of the two countries under the Canadian defense umbrella, the recently released Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE) annual report revealed.
The assistance includes notifying Ukrainian authorities about “hostile cyber activities against Ukraine’s national infrastructure,” and “vulnerabilities on their network infrastructure to prevent hostile activity.”
Ukrainian authorities are sharing data in the ongoing effort.
Only Defensive Cyber Operations
Canada is employing only defensive cyber operations, not active ones, CBC News reported, citing CSE spokesperson Robyn Hawco.
An active operation includes offensive maneuvers to disrupt foreign online threats.
Citing a professor of national security law at Carleton University, Leah West, the outlet wrote that the CSE assistance “wouldn’t meet Russia’s threshold for retaliation” nor trigger a NATO obligation.
CSE’s aid won’t “pull us into the conflict,” West said. “It gives us the authority to help.”
Canadian Experts Deployed in Latvia
Meanwhile, CSE deployed personnel in Latvia to help protect the country’s critical infrastructure and government networks from cyber threats.
“These deployments are part of a joint mission involving cyber security experts from the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Cyber Centre and its Latvian counterpart, CERT.LV,” the CSE report said.