Canada lists India among cyber threat adversaries along with China

New Delhi: While a row has emerged between India and Canada, the latter listed the former in a list of cyber threat adversaries, deepening the fissure in the ties between the two powers. Canada claimed that state-sponsored actors could be spying against it. However, India slammed the allegation on Saturday, PTI reports.

Canada released the report National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026 (NCTA 2025-2026), in which India is listed along with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

“We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage,” the report said.

India is also mentioned in the trend on 'Geopolitically inspired non-state actors are creating unpredictability' citing as an example how a pro-India hacktivist group claimed to have defaced and conducted a brief attack against Canadian websites after India was accused of involvement in the killing of a Canadian citizen.

“India's leadership almost certainly aspires to build a modernised cyber programme with domestic cyber capabilities. India very likely uses its cyber programme to advance its national security imperatives, including espionage, counter-terrorism, and the country's efforts to promote its global status and counter-narratives against India and the Indian government,” the assessment report said.

The NCTA 2025-2026 highlights the cyber threats facing individuals and organisations in Canada and was released on October 30 by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre), which is Canada's technical authority on cyber security and part of the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE). The assessment reports are released every two years.

In previous versions of the NCTA, published in 2018, 2020, and 2023-24, India’s name wasn’t mentioned.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India last month expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrew its high commissioner Sanjay Verma and other “targeted” officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa's charges.