Amid diplomatic tensions, a group of Indian hackers has asserted their involvement in a campaign named #OpCanada, targeting various Canadian cyber assets, including the website of the Canadian Armed Forces. The cyberattack orchestrated by the 'Indian Cyber Force' temporarily rendered the Canadian military website inaccessible for a period of 2 hours. The group has further indicated its intent to focus on Canadian IoT (Internet of Things) devices in subsequent actions.

The 'Indian Cyber Force,' a hacker collective that has gained prominence in recent weeks amidst geopolitical disputes, openly shared details of their activities on platforms like Telegram and X (formerly Twitter). They even posted screenshots of the Canadian military website during the cyberattack. The group had previously announced a specific timeframe for their breach, which they successfully executed.

"Cyber alert for Canada. Get ready to feel the power of IndianCyberForce attacks will be launching on Canada's cyberspace in the coming 3 days it's for the mess you're started. #OpCanada Regards ~ IndianCyberForce," group of hackers posts on X.

Subsequently, the Indian Cyber Force asserted that they had successfully breached the personal databases of Canadian citizens, gaining access to a trove of sensitive information. This included details such as credit card information, driver's license records, loan histories, bank statements, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and Canadian passport data.

In the days that followed, the Indian Cyber Force continued their cyber campaign, claiming to have infiltrated various Canadian entities. Their targets encompassed the Canadian manufacturing database, the website of a hospital in Ottawa, the Canadian election democracy site, and once again, the Canadian armed forces website. In a post dated September 27 on X, the group boldly declared their intention to target Canadian IoT (Internet of Things) devices in their forthcoming endeavors.

As per a statement provided to The Globe and Mail by Daniel Le Bouthillier, the head of media relations at the Department of National Defence in Canada, it was confirmed that the Canadian armed forces' website had indeed been subjected to a cyberattack, but the situation has been resolved. He acknowledged that the disruption primarily impacted mobile users as opposed to desktop users. Le Bouthillier clarified that the targeted website was distinct from the Government of Canada's online infrastructure and internal networks. He also stated that they currently have no evidence of broader repercussions to their systems, though he didn't furnish additional specifics. Furthermore, Le Bouthillier revealed that an investigation into the matter is underway by the Canadian armed forces.

The previous week, Canada's intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), reportedly issued a warning to information and technology administrators due to the surge in cyberattacks, coinciding with the mounting diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. The agency pointed out that geopolitical events often trigger an uptick in disruptive cyber campaigns.

The strained diplomatic relationship between India and Canada is rooted in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement of an investigation into allegations that Indian government agents played a role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen identified as a Khalistani terrorist, in British Columbia. India has vehemently denied any involvement in the incident, dismissing the allegations as unfounded. There have been reports suggesting that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) orchestrated Nijjar's killing to strain relations between India and Canada.

In response to the escalating diplomatic tensions, India declared the temporary suspension of visa issuance to Canadian citizens and requested Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country. During his address at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, called upon all United Nations member states to base their responses to terrorism, extremism, and violence on principles rather than political convenience.

He emphasized the importance of respecting territorial integrity and refraining from interfering in the internal affairs of other nations. Jaishankar asserted that these principles should not be subject to selective interpretation and that the era of a few powerful nations dictating the global agenda to others has concluded.

Image source: ANI