Cyberspace making Canadian secrets more vulnerable, spy service official warns

The expansion of cyberspace is making it easier for foreign adversaries to pilfer valuable secrets, says a senior official at Canada's spy service.

Cherie Henderson, an interim assistant director with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told a defence conference Friday that a foreign agent no longer needs to sidle up to their target in a bar.

They can be at a keyboard in another country, trying to locate a Canadian's personal device on a computer network.

In some cases, Henderson said, information gleaned online can help make it possible to do old-fashioned espionage in person.

There are many countries that desire Canada's top-notch technology but do not want to take the time to develop it themselves, she said.