Canada’s Minister of Defence Anita Anand stated on Saturday that the key infrastructure of the nation was increasingly the target of cyberattacks, posing a serious threat to the economy of the fourth-largest crude oil producer in the world.
After researchers uncovered a Chinese hacker cell had been snooping on such networks, the US State Department issued a warning last month that China was capable of launching cyber-attacks against oil and gas pipelines and train systems.
Anand said there had been an uptick in cyber-attacks in North America in an interview she gave on the margins of an Asian security meeting in Singapore; however, she did not link the attacks to any state-sponsored entities.
“The risks can be substantial to our economy and systems that are protecting the lives of our citizens.”
Numerous sizable oil pipelines in Canada are crucial for the supply of crude oil around the world. Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell are two multinational energy corporations with sizable interests there.
Rising tensions between the United States and China have dominated the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s biggest security gathering, which Anand was addressing.
Military representatives from China claim that the US and its allies used the meeting to unite against Beijing and create discord in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We must keep a close eye on China.” In response to a question regarding China’s criticisms, Anand stated that they had become a more disruptive global force.
