Canada's Communications Security Establishment conducted hacking operations against three criminal groups in 2025, including a ransomware-as-a-service gang, an online foreign extremist organization, and a drug trafficking ring. These offensive operations demonstrate the agency's proactive approach to disrupting malicious activities. The CSE's actions against these groups highlight the evolving nature of cyber threats and the need for governments to adapt their strategies to combat them. The report does not provide specific details on the tactics used or the impact of the operations, but it underscores the importance of intelligence agencies' role in mitigating cyber threats1. The success of these operations may serve as a model for other countries to follow in their own efforts to combat cybercrime. So what matters to practitioners is that these operations show how governments can effectively use their cyber capabilities to disrupt and deter criminal activities.
Canadian spy agency reports hacking three criminal groups in 2025
⚡ High Priority
Why This Matters
A ransomware-as-a-service gang, an online foreign extremist group and drug traffickers were separately the targets of offensive operations in 2025, according to Canada's.
References
- The Record. (2026, July 6). Canadian spy agency reports hacking three criminal groups in 2025. The Record. https://therecord.media/canada-cse-2025-cyber-operations-ransomware-drugs-extremism
Original Source
The Record Cyber
Read original →