Latest news with #Walshe
Vancouver Sun
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Spy agency says it doesn't just go after extremists' computers. It also goes after their online reputation
OTTAWA — Canada's cyberintelligence agency doesn't just go after violent extremist group leaders' computers and networks, it also attacks their reputation, credibility and trustworthiness to undermine them, according to a new report. In its latest annual report published Friday , the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) offered new detail about what it does during an 'active cyber operation'. In other words, how CSE leads its minister of defence-approved campaigns meant to disrupt, influence or interfere with online threats posed by hostile actors like foreign states, organized crime or extremist groups. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The activities go well beyond the clichéd image of tech wizards in hoodies hacking into foreign threat actors' computers and wreaking havoc on their IT systems (though that also happens). In cases last year where CSE ran operations against violent extremist organizations, for example, the cyber-spy agency targeted the adversaries' online presence and reputation on top of their IT infrastructure. 'Using a multi-faceted approach that targeted VEOs' technical infrastructure and online presence, CSE conducted active cyber operations to damage the credibility and influence of key group leaders, reducing their ability to inspire and lead,' reads the report. The operations also aimed to 'weaken trust and reduce cohesion between leaders and followers, undermining the unity and strength of these organizations,' the report continues. Asked in an interview if CSE leads online disparagement campaigns against leaders of violent extremist organizations, Cyber Centre deputy head Bridget Walshe declined to go into detail. 'It's difficult for me to get into details about the actual techniques that are being used, because if we share those techniques, then that impacts them and the effectiveness decreases,' Walshe said. 'Violent extremism is a big one, because there is an immediate threat to Canada. So, what we've tried to do is highlight what the impact is' of CSE's cyber operations, she said of the latest report. In total, CSE says it was authorized to run four active or defensive cyber operations last fiscal year, including another that targeted the 10 biggest ransomware groups impacting Canada. In one case late last year, the agency detected a ransomware group targeting Canadians working in a critical infrastructure sector. Within 48 hours, the report reads, CSE's teams identified and notified victims and ran a cyber operation to disrupt the criminal group's activity. The spy agency also said that it helped identify legitimate businesses that were covertly supporting foreign governments' military, political and commercial activities meant to undermine the Canadian Armed Forces. Walshe declined to say if the businesses were Canadian or had a connection to Canada but noted that CSE's mandate does not allow it to act against Canadians. 'Our mandate in this sphere is foreign,' she said. Over the last fiscal year, CSE says it responded to 2,561 cyber security incidents affecting either the government of Canada or critical infrastructure providers. That's a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year as hostile actors increasingly target Canada's critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, finance, food, water and manufacturing. CSE also says in the report that between 2020 and 2023, it improperly shared information about Canadians with international partners that had been acquired 'incidentally' while targeting foreigners. 'Corrective actions included placing strict limits on information sharing and seeking assurances from CSE's trusted partners that the shared information was deleted,' the agency said, adding that it also notified the minister of defence. The report does not detail how many Canadians were impacted or what information was improperly disclosed. Once again, CSE says the People's Republic of China is by far the most prominent threat to Canada's national security, engaging in activities ranging from espionage to intellectual property theft and transnational repression. China's targets are also vast and include government, civil society, media, the defence industry and the R&D sector. 'The People's Republic of China (PRC) operates, and continues to expand, one of the world's most extensive and dynamic security and intelligence systems,' reads the report. 'The PRC cyber program's scale, tradecraft and ambitions in cyberspace are second to none.' Russia is also a key threat actor and continues to conduct espionage, spread disinformation and run influence operations against Canadians. Unlike previous years, the 2024-2025 annual report does not mention North Korea and barely notes the cyber threat posed by Iran, though Walshe said both regimes remain problematic for Canada. 'They are both capable threat actors,' she said. 'We absolutely do see that those two states posing a continued threat to Canada, just not highlighted in this report.' National Post cnardi@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
Calgary Herald
12 hours ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Spy agency says it doesn't just go after extremists' computers. It also goes after their online reputation
In one case late last year, the agency detected a ransomware group targeting Canadians working in a critical infrastructure sector. Within 48 hours, the report reads, CSE's teams identified and notified victims and ran a cyber operation to disrupt the criminal group's activity. The spy agency also said that it helped identify legitimate businesses that were covertly supporting foreign governments' military, political and commercial activities meant to undermine the Canadian Armed Forces. Walshe declined to say if the businesses were Canadian or had a connection to Canada but noted that CSE's mandate does not allow it to act against Canadians. 'Our mandate in this sphere is foreign,' she said. Over the last fiscal year, CSE says it responded to 2,561 cyber security incidents affecting either the government of Canada or critical infrastructure providers. That's a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year as hostile actors increasingly target Canada's critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, finance, food, water and manufacturing. CSE also says in the report that between 2020 and 2023, it improperly shared information about Canadians with international partners that had been acquired 'incidentally' while targeting foreigners. 'Corrective actions included placing strict limits on information sharing and seeking assurances from CSE's trusted partners that the shared information was deleted,' the agency said, adding that it also notified the minister of defence. The report does not detail how many Canadians were impacted or what information was improperly disclosed. Once again, CSE says the People's Republic of China is by far the most prominent threat to Canada's national security, engaging in activities ranging from espionage to intellectual property theft and transnational repression. China's targets are also vast and include government, civil society, media, the defence industry and the R&D sector. 'The People's Republic of China (PRC) operates, and continues to expand, one of the world's most extensive and dynamic security and intelligence systems,' reads the report. 'The PRC cyber program's scale, tradecraft and ambitions in cyberspace are second to none.' Russia is also a key threat actor and continues to conduct espionage, spread disinformation and run influence operations against Canadians. Unlike previous years, the 2024-2025 annual report does not mention North Korea and barely notes the cyber threat posed by Iran, though Walshe said both regimes remain problematic for Canada. 'They are both capable threat actors,' she said. 'We absolutely do see that those two states posing a continued threat to Canada, just not highlighted in this report.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.
Edmonton Journal
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Spy agency says it doesn't just go after extremists' computers. It also goes after their online reputation
Article content OTTAWA — Canada's cyberintelligence agency doesn't just go after violent extremist group leaders' computers and networks, it also attacks their reputation, credibility and trustworthiness to undermine them, according to a new report. In its latest annual report published Friday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) offered new detail about what it does during an 'active cyber operation'. Article content In other words, how CSE leads its minister of defence-approved campaigns meant to disrupt, influence or interfere with online threats posed by hostile actors like foreign states, organized crime or extremist groups. The activities go well beyond the clichéd image of tech wizards in hoodies hacking into foreign threat actors' computers and wreaking havoc on their IT systems (though that also happens). In cases last year where CSE ran operations against violent extremist organizations, for example, the cyber-spy agency targeted the adversaries' online presence and reputation on top of their IT infrastructure. 'Using a multi-faceted approach that targeted VEOs' technical infrastructure and online presence, CSE conducted active cyber operations to damage the credibility and influence of key group leaders, reducing their ability to inspire and lead,' reads the report. Article content The operations also aimed to 'weaken trust and reduce cohesion between leaders and followers, undermining the unity and strength of these organizations,' the report continues. Asked in an interview if CSE leads online disparagement campaigns against leaders of violent extremist organizations, Cyber Centre deputy head Bridget Walshe declined to go into detail. 'It's difficult for me to get into details about the actual techniques that are being used, because if we share those techniques, then that impacts them and the effectiveness decreases,' Walshe said. 'Violent extremism is a big one, because there is an immediate threat to Canada. So, what we've tried to do is highlight what the impact is' of CSE's cyber operations, she said of the latest report. In total, CSE says it was authorized to run four active or defensive cyber operations last fiscal year, including another that targeted the 10 biggest ransomware groups impacting Canada. Article content In one case late last year, the agency detected a ransomware group targeting Canadians working in a critical infrastructure sector. Within 48 hours, the report reads, CSE's teams identified and notified victims and ran a cyber operation to disrupt the criminal group's activity. The spy agency also said that it helped identify legitimate businesses that were covertly supporting foreign governments' military, political and commercial activities meant to undermine the Canadian Armed Forces. Walshe declined to say if the businesses were Canadian or had a connection to Canada but noted that CSE's mandate does not allow it to act against Canadians. 'Our mandate in this sphere is foreign,' she said. Over the last fiscal year, CSE says it responded to 2,561 cyber security incidents affecting either the government of Canada or critical infrastructure providers. Article content That's a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year as hostile actors increasingly target Canada's critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, finance, food, water and manufacturing. CSE also says in the report that between 2020 and 2023, it improperly shared information about Canadians with international partners that had been acquired 'incidentally' while targeting foreigners. 'Corrective actions included placing strict limits on information sharing and seeking assurances from CSE's trusted partners that the shared information was deleted,' the agency said, adding that it also notified the minister of defence. The report does not detail how many Canadians were impacted or what information was improperly disclosed. Once again, CSE says the People's Republic of China is by far the most prominent threat to Canada's national security, engaging in activities ranging from espionage to intellectual property theft and transnational repression. Latest National Stories
National Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Spy agency says it doesn't just go after extremists' computers. It also goes after their online reputation
OTTAWA — Canada's cyberintelligence agency doesn't just go after violent extremist group leaders' computers and networks, it also attacks their reputation, credibility and trustworthiness to undermine them, according to a new report. Article content In its latest annual report published Friday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) offered new detail about what it does during an 'active cyber operation'. Article content Article content Article content 'Using a multi-faceted approach that targeted VEOs' technical infrastructure and online presence, CSE conducted active cyber operations to damage the credibility and influence of key group leaders, reducing their ability to inspire and lead,' reads the report. Article content The operations also aimed to 'weaken trust and reduce cohesion between leaders and followers, undermining the unity and strength of these organizations,' the report continues. Article content Article content Article content 'It's difficult for me to get into details about the actual techniques that are being used, because if we share those techniques, then that impacts them and the effectiveness decreases,' Walshe said.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Cohasset man who allegedly killed, dismembered wife wants Google searches tossed
Walshe's consent was necessary at the time because State Police hadn't obtained a warrant for the devices. In Thursday's filing, Walshe's lawyers said the agreement covered 'all communications' between Dec. 25, 2022, and Jan. 6, 2023, the date the electronics were turned over. The sole exception was for communications between Walshe and his lawyer, the filing said. Advertisement Miner testified that the agreement did not include GPS location data or any browser or Internet searches, the defense said. Walshe's current lawyers said investigators 'obtained the internet searches and GPS/data location information in the same act of illegality, exceeding the scope of the consent.' According to the memo, State Police began a forensic search of the devices on the night of Jan. 6, 2023, and continued into the early hours of Jan. 7. An investigator who conducted the work alerted colleagues on the evening of Jan. 7 to the Internet searches in question, which were later referenced in an affidavit for a search warrant, records show. But before a warrant was issued, the filing said, 'police willingly and knowingly violated the agreement by exceeding the agreed-upon scope by downloading and searching the entire content of' Walshe's phone, his son's laptop, and a third laptop with a cracked screen that he turned over. Advertisement The filing didn't detail the Google searches, but at Walshe's January 2023 district court arraignment for allegedly killing his wife, They included 'how to embalm a body,' '10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,' 'how to stop a body from decomposing,' and 'how long before a body starts to smell.' They were made between 4:55 a.m. and 5:47 a.m. on New Year's Day, prosecutors said. In court, Walshe at one point shook his head during the recitation of the searches. Days before allegedly killing his wife, Walshe, who in 2021 pleaded guilty to scamming a Los Angeles art collector out of $80,000, had inquired online about divorce, Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Lynn Beland said at his arraignment. 'On Dec. 27, the defendant Googled 'what's the best state to divorce for a man?' ' Beland said. 'Rather than divorce, it is believed Brian Walshe dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her body.' Additional search terms, Beland said, included 'can you throw away body parts,' 'what does formaldehyde do,' 'how long does DNA last,' 'can identification be made from partial remains,' 'dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body,' and 'what happens when you put body parts in ammonia,' as well as 'hacksaw best tool to dismember,' and 'can you be charged with murder without a body.' Advertisement During Walshe's April 2023 Walshe had been closely monitoring the Instagram page of a man he believed his wife was having an affair with, prosecutors said. When he lost touch with Ana Walshe for about 24 hours around Christmas 2022, he and his mother hired a private investigator to follow her around Washington, D.C., where she had taken a new job with a real estate company, according to court documents. On New Year's Eve 2022, the couple hosted Ana Walshe's former employer at their house, who left around 1:30 a.m. 'That was the last time someone had seen Ana Walshe alive outside of the defendant,' prosecutor Greg Connor said. The guest told investigators he had dinner with the couple and they shared champagne and wine, according to an affidavit. Brian and Ana Walshe were in a good mood and everyone enjoyed themselves, he said, adding that Ana Walshe appeared to be a bit 'tipsy' from the alcohol, while Brian Walshe appeared unimpaired. By 4:50 a.m., authorities allege, Ana Walshe, 39, was dead, and the disturbing Google searches started. Over the next several days, prosecutors allege, Walshe dismembered his wife's body in the basement and discarded her clothes and other evidence in a dumpster at a liquor store near his mother's home in Swampscott. He also allegedly disposed her remains in dumpsters at apartment complexes in Abington and Brockton. Police also allegedly found blood in the basement of the couple's home. Seven days after Ana Walshe's disappearance, police searched the dumpster near the home of Brian Walshe's mother. Inside, they found a COVID vaccination card for Ana Walshe, a Hermes watch, and clothing Ana Walshe was known to wear, according to prosecutors. Forensic testing showed her DNA on items found in the dumpster, prosecutors said. Advertisement Walshe, 50, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, lying to investigators, and disinterring a body. He remains held without bail, and his trial is scheduled to begin in October, records show. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
