OTTAWA — A senior official at Canada's spy service says the expansion of cyberspace is making it easier for foreign adversaries to pilfer secrets.

Cherie Henderson, an interim assistant director with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, tells a defence conference today 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 target's personal device on a computer network.

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

She says there are many countries that want Canada's top-notch technology and do not want to take the time to develop it themselves.

Defence Minister Anita Anand told the conference the Communications Security Establishment, Canada's cyberspy agency, is sharing threat intelligence with Ukraine to help defend itself against cyberattacks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press