Mr. Chair, members of the committee, good afternoon.
I'm Cherie Henderson, the assistant director of requirements at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you once again this year, this time to discuss cybersecurity, which of course is a very important topic.
As Canada's principal government agency responsible for investigating threats to the security of Canada, CSIS also investigates cyber-threats. As such, we employ all our investigative tools to collect intelligence on cyber-threat actors' exploitation of cyberspace to conduct espionage, sabotage and foreign-influenced activities against Canada and Canadians. CSIS also co-operates with a wide range of domestic and international partners.
Our unique value lies in our ability to collect intelligence on the nature and scope of hostile cyber-activities and the intentions of the actors behind them. This intelligence supports the mandates of our Government of Canada partners, enabling them to better formulate foreign and domestic policies, protect critical Canadian entities and strengthen our nation's overall cybersecurity posture.
Under the CSIS Act, the service also has the legal authority to use threat reduction measures in order to reduce cyber-threats to Canada. One of the most important challenges to address in protecting our national security is the sharing of timely and actionable intelligence. CSIS is addressing this particular challenge in a number of ways, including through regular outreach and partner engagement. We have delivered briefings to partners on the espionage and foreign influence threats posed by state cyber-actors, as well as the potential national security impacts of ransomware attacks carried out by criminal groups.
With today's rapidly evolving technology, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of change in the threat environment. It has become more complex, increasingly fluid, less predictable and consequently more challenging. Threat actors are conducting activities in the online space, simultaneously taking advantage of the technology that enables them to disguise their activities and their identities. Moreover, cyber actors have more opportunities than ever to conduct malicious activity as our world becomes increasingly interconnected.
We investigate the criminal elements as well as the hostile state cyber actors who conduct malicious activities to advance their countries' interests, whether they be political, economic, military, security or ideological. Hostile state actors seek to compromise computer systems by manipulating their users or exploiting security vulnerabilities to gain access to trade secrets or to achieve various objectives through the disruption of critical infrastructure and vital services. These types of activities are not going away, and in fact are currently on an upward trajectory.
CSIS has observed persistent and sophisticated state-sponsored threat activity for many years. We continue to see a rise in the frequency and levels of sophistication of this threat activity. Canadian companies in almost all sectors of our economy have been targeted and compromised.
Unauthorized, malicious access to Canada's critical infrastructure can have drastic consequences for the safety and security of Canadians. If you think about all the systems we rely on in our lives, including systems that support our telecommunications, energy, transportation, supply chain, health and financial activities, any interference with these systems can have unforeseen impacts on our personal safety, our well-being and our national security.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to an unprecedented number of individuals working from home offices, which are much less secure environments. This new standard of work increases the risk of exposure to malicious cyber-activities on networks and sensitive information. We have all heard accounts of cybercriminals conducting ransomware acts on companies and public institutions, including hospitals at the height of the pandemic.
The increasingly interconnected and global nature of security threats means that CSIS cannot fulfill its mandate in isolation. There is tremendous co-operation and ongoing work within the security and intelligence community to provide the Government of Canada with the best intelligence and advice possible concerning cyber-threat activity.
Today's global threat environment requires that each partner use their unique mandate and legal authorities to protect Canada and Canadians. That is exactly what CSIS has been doing and will continue to do.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to discuss this issue with you today. I am pleased to answer any questions.
