Chinese hackers have been accessing computers, networks and other IT infrastructure in Canada for some time to monitor and steal highly sensitive information, according to a paper from the country’s leading authority on cyber security.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released its “National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026,” a paper which revealed that there is nothing new about state-sponsored Chinese hackers engaging in digital espionage.
According to the research, Chinese hackers have been engaging in cyber espionage for at least the last five years, aiming to gain strategic, economic, and diplomatic advantages.
“PRC state-sponsored cyber threat actors persistently conduct cyber espionage against federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous government networks in Canada,” reads the paper.
“PRC cyber threat actors have compromised and maintained access to multiple government networks over the past five years, collecting communications and other valuable information.”
The agency’s findings conclude that “all known federal government compromises” have since been resolved, but insists that these nefarious hackers have dedicated “significant time and resources” to learn about the target networks, suggesting that they could resurface at any time.
According to the Cyber Centre, these hackers weren’t looking around for any information, instead, the cyber attacks were highly calculated.
For example, any government official critical of the Chinese Communist Party was a target back in 2021, especially members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
These members would receive emails designed to attach trackers onto the victim’s devices to gain network reconnaissance.
Advanced robotics, 6G networks, intelligence computing centres, quantum computing and advanced aviation all appear to be top of mind interest for these Chinese hackers, as the paper noted that private sector companies in these fields were major targets.
The paper’s release comes in the wake of the federal government issuing a statement saying that Chinese hackers have operated “multiple reconnaissance scans” throughout this year, targeting “Government of Canada departments and agencies, and includes federal political parties, the House of Commons and Senate.”
“They also targeted dozens of organizations, including democratic institutions, critical infrastructure, the defense sector, media organizations, think tanks and NGOs,” the statement said.
An inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s electoral system remains ongoing, with China being among the primary suspects involved.
The paper concluded that cyber threat actors present a “persistent threat to Canada’s economic prosperity and national security,” saying that as a wealthy country, it will remain a valuable target for financially motivated cybercriminals.
“Meanwhile, the threat to Canada from state-sponsored cyber threat activity will be influenced by geopolitical events beyond our borders, the status of Canada’s foreign relations, and an international environment defined by economic and technological rivalry,” reads the paper. “The threats in cyberspace will increasingly reflect a global system where an array of actors are forging networks of varying strength and convenience in pursuit of their own self-interests.”