Once close friends are now experiencing a strained relationship, which is the most accurate way to depict the recent build-up of tensions between India and Canada. Amidst these diplomatic strains, the situation is spreading across various other sectors.
Currently, the Canadian Armed Forces’ website has fallen victim to a cyberattack, and credit for this incident has been claimed by a group identifying themselves as the Indian Cyber Force.
On Wednesday, September 27th, the website was inaccessible for a couple of hours.
Having successfully breached the website’s cybersecurity, the hacking group announced their intention to target Canadian IoT devices.
Typically, cyberattacks of this nature serve as a means to garner attention from government authorities. Furthermore, during diplomatic tensions like these, such events only exacerbate the political dynamics of the involved nations.
In addition to this, hacking a government website provides a certain level of prestige to the hacking group. The authenticity of their claim is yet to be verified, but given the group’s self-identification as the Indian Cyber Force, it is unlikely to improve the situation.
The entire episode revolves around the matter of the passing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently accused India in connection with this event.
In response, India vehemently denied these allegations, expressing strong disagreement and deeming them as “baseless.” India also called on Canada to take a decisive stance against terrorists and individuals with anti-India leanings who may be operating within its borders. Additionally, visa services for Canadian citizens have been temporarily suspended as a measure.
