The Canadian government issued a new assessment warning of the increasing Iranian cyber activities, indicating that Iran's digital influence is no longer confined to the Middle East but has extended to Western countries, placing Iran alongside Russia and China as key threats to Canadian national security.

Iranian Activities in Canada

The government report released on Wednesday stated that "the Iranian regime's attempts are increasing in tracking and monitoring its opponents through cyberspace, posing additional challenges for Canada and its allies in the field of cybersecurity."

The national cybersecurity threat report confirmed that Iranian entities exploit prominent events, such as the downing of flight 752 in Tehran, to launch phishing campaigns targeting members of the Iranian community and Canadian officials, focusing on vital sectors such as defense, space, and communications.

Advanced Cyberwarfare Capabilities

In recent years, there has been a rise in Iranian cyber activities, with Tehran carrying out sophisticated attacks against regional and international adversaries.

Over the past decade, the Iranian government has developed significant capabilities in the field of cyber attacks, targeting governmental, financial, energy, and media sectors in the Middle East and the West.

Offensive Tactics

The report noted that Iranian cyber conflicts with Israel have helped Iran develop new techniques for cyber attacks, which are now directed at Western targets. Canadian officials indicated that these Iranian entities may be able to access computer networks in Canada, including critical infrastructure, even though Canada is not among the primary targets.

Warnings from Technology Companies

In recent weeks, major technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta issued reports warning of Iranian cyber activities targeting political figures and seeking to influence the US elections, as they may escalate to the point of inciting violence to create political disruptions.

Iranian Denial of Allegations

For its part, the spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Nations denied any Iranian interference in the US presidential elections, describing the allegations as "baseless and unacceptable."

It is noteworthy that a cyber attack is any attempt to expose, alter, disrupt, destroy, steal, or gain unauthorized access to or use of assets.

It is a type of offensive maneuver targeting computer information systems, infrastructure, computer networks, or personal computers.

Cyber attacks can be part of electronic warfare or cyber terrorism. The cyber attack can be carried out by sovereign states, individuals, groups, communities, organizations, or even gangs, and these cyber attacks can originate from an anonymous source.

A cyber attack may steal, alter, or destroy a specific target by infiltrating a sensitive system, and the range of cyber attacks can vary from installing spyware on a personal computer to attempting to destroy the infrastructure of entire nations.