New Battle Rhythm! Artur and I talk about spies, security clearances and more and then I interview Caseway's Alistair Vigier about AI and drones open.substack.com/pub/cdsn/p/e...
Bill Robinson
@billrobinson.bsky.social
Researcher focused on Canadian SIGINT activities past and present. Also FVEY and other countries. Citizen Lab Research Fellow. Occasionally compared to a hedgehog. He/him. Blog: https://luxexumbra.blogspot.com/
More than 30 water systems in Minnesota have been hit in what officials call a “coordinated cyberattack.” One said the hacking shared characteristics with those that federal agencies have been warning against — shortly after federal alerts about Iranian hacking. www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
Minnesota IT officials disclose 'coordinated cyberattack' at more than 30 local water systems
A "coordinated cyberattack" targeted more than 30 community water systems in the U.S. state of Minnesota on July 26 and July 27, the state's IT agency said in a statement.
reuters.com
Canada's newfound focus on defence investments is great news for the national cyberspying and cyberdefence agency, according to internal documents. Also, it shouldn't have to buy from Canadian suppliers. thelogic.co/news/cse-buy...
Canada’s cyberspy agency exempts itself from Buy Canadian rules - The Logic
Documents show the head of the Communications Security Establishment signed off on an exemption covering everything the agency buys, even as its budget climbs past $2 billion
thelogic.co
67 boat strikes 221 people killed EXCLUSIVE: Operation Southern Spear has not reduced the volume, availability, purity or price of cocaine arriving in the U.S., according to an internal DEA assessment and a closed-door Pentagon briefing for senators, and has made enforcement more difficult
67 boat strikes. 221 dead. The cocaine hasn’t slowed, officials report.
The president says Operation Southern Spear has virtually ended drug trafficking by sea. Pentagon and DEA analysts have concluded otherwise.
washingtonpost.com
I joined the Lawbytes @lawbytes.bsky.social pod today re Canada signing on to the UN Cybercrime Convention, a treaty fuelling rising digital authoritarianism around the world. I also explain why high risk info-sharing treaties like this should not be chips in Canada's trade policy.
Michael Geist@mgeist.bsky.social · last wk.Russia, China and Iran have signed the UN Cybercrime Convention. Until 11 days ago, Canada joined the US, Japan, and NZ in staying out. Without notice, it quietly signed despite human rights concerns. @kate-ro.bsky.social joins my Law Bytes podcast to discuss. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/07/epis...
A Surveillance Treaty in Disguise: The Trouble With Canada's Quiet Decision to Sign the UN Cybercrime Convention - Michael Geist
A Surveillance Treaty in Disguise: The Trouble With Canada's Quiet Decision to Sign the UN Cybercrime Convention - Michael Geist
Last week, the government announced that Canada has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, with Ministers Anita Anand, Gary Anandasangaree and Sean Fraser touting the treaty’s child…
buff.ly
Thrilled to have an opportunity to speak about my new book #ChillingEffects with @justinhendrix.bsky.social, Editor in Chief of @techpolicypress.bsky.social Listen in below!
Tech Policy Press@techpolicypress.bsky.social · last wk.How do surveillance, censorship, and technologies of control get weaponized—and how do we push back? Justin Hendrix talks with Jonathon W. Penney, author of "Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age," about his roadmap for reform.
The latest Canadian Cyber News Rewire is out. Stories last week include: RCN Cyber Team Attends RIMPAC Alberta’s electricity industry anticipates tripling of power prices due to data centres Canadians for Digital Sovereignty is looking for its first Director www.cyberincontext.ca/p/canadian-c...
Canadian Cyber News Rewire - 25/07/26
Wiring you into the cyber news relevant to Canada the week ending July 25
cyberincontext.ca
December 3, 1941. Canadian intelligence intercepted a message from Rio de Janeiro being transmitted to Hamburg. The intercept described US ship locations. By December 8 it was forwarded to the Americans. Follow the link to learn more about CA-US WWII SIGINT cooperation.
A new open access article. doi.org/10.1080/0268...
The Soviet intelligence illegals program in the face of counterintelligence pressure: the case of the United States and Canada
Post-World War II Soviet intelligence illegals operations in the United States and Canada started strong in the 1940s and 1950s. However, as they experienced increasing counterintelligence pressure...
doi.org
U.S. says Iranian hackers are upping their hacks on American water and energy providers to "cause disruptive effects within the United States." FBI, NSA & CISA say the critical infrastructure breaches are in response to the Iran war (no shit). Bypass for ad-blockers: web.archive.org/web/20260723...
US government says Iran-linked hackers are disrupting American water and energy providers | TechCrunch
An updated government advisory warns that Iranian hackers are exploiting systems used by water and energy providers.
techcrunch.com
Canada launches a public consultation to seek views on how to strengthen transparency for AI systems and AI-generated outputs. www.canada.ca/en/innovatio...
Government of Canada launches public consultation on AI transparency - Canada.ca
Public feedback will help shape next steps to advance safe, responsible and reliable AI in Canada
canada.ca
One of the most rewarding parts of this project has been making research more accessible. 🚨Terrorist Use of Hybrid Threat Finance Networks🚨 www.projectcraaft.eu/research-bri...
Terrorist Use of Hybrid Threat Finance Networks — Project CRAAFT
This research briefing by Jessica Davis examines how terrorist financing is increasingly conducted through “hybrid threat finance networks” that combine traditional financial systems with digital asse...
projectcraaft.eu
End-to-End Encryption and “Going Dark” New paper: "Encryption and Globalization 15 Years Later: End-to-End Encryption and the Third Round of the 'Going Dark' Debate…... https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/07/end-to-end-encryption-and-going-dark.html
End-to-End Encryption and “Going Dark”
New paper: "Encryption and Globalization 15 Years Later: End-to-End Encryption and the Third Round of the 'Going Dark' Debate": Abstract: This Article updates and expands on 2012 research on encryption and globalization, analyzing what the authors call "Round 3" of the Going Dark Debate: the current controversies over end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Governments around the world have proposed, and in some cases enacted, laws limiting E2EE for law enforcement and national security purposes.
schneier.com
📢 New blog by @srdj.bsky.social & @hager.bsky.social - 5 Myths About the Five Eyes Thanks to its deep dependency on an increasingly volatile United States, the Five Eyes has now become brittle... 🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/07/22/5...
As I had predicted, CAF Cyber Forces participated in RIMPAC. CAFCYBERCOM has particularly been focusing on engagement in the Indo-Pacific and been making use of every exercise they can. www.canada.ca/en/departmen...
Royal Canadian Navy Cyber Team strengthen interoperability during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)
During RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii, Royal Canadian Navy cyber specialists joined counterparts from five allied nations in advanced cyber warfare training. The exercise strengthened interoperability, informa...
canada.ca
Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work. By Mzwandile Poncana. ‘A disaster’ for access, says one expert. hilltimes.com/2026/07/21/a... #cdnfoi #cdnpoli
‘A disaster’ for access, expert says as cuts push Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work - The Hill Times
'It's just another tragedy in the access story,' says historian Timothy Sayle of the decision to axe the three-year-old program, and part of a 'broader pattern of underfunding access to information an...
hilltimes.com
Christy Somos is the only Canadian journalist I'm aware of who is proactively asking the Canadian Department of National Defence about any CAF casualties in the Middle East, while DND assumes their usual passive media posture and don't tell Canadians anything proactively.
The State of Things with Christy Somos@thestateofthings.bsky.social · 2w ago🇨🇦 DND replied this morning: "We are aware of reports of strikes overnight in the Middle East. All Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed in the region are currently safe and accounted for."
Some more good coverage of FINTRAC's analysis of OTC crypto exchanges in Canada. Critical in this reporting is the emphasis on the need for law enforcement (not just regulatory work or monetary penalties) "Fines aren’t going to matter… That’s just a cost of doing business,” Davis said"
Crypto desks ‘knowingly’ help launder money, government report says
Intelligence report finds businesses facilitating sanctions evasion, drug dealing
theijf.org
Canadian defence and security agencies need the kind of services that U.S.-based Palantir offers, but it's ever harder to do a deal with Palantir that doesn't draw criticism—for all kinds of legit reasons. Meet a couple of the Canadian companies that want to step in. thelogic.co/news/canada-...
The Canadian companies trying to break Palantir’s grip on intelligence software - The Logic
Anvil and Caseway are building intelligence tools in Canada, but a US$300-billion American giant got its wares here first
thelogic.co
Senior research fellow Gary Miller spoke to @financialtimes.com about attempts to exploit mobile network vulnerabilities to track US personnel during the Iran war. Read: www.ft.com/content/4435...
US military smartphones targeted through roaming and ad tech
Cyber attacks tried to track down American personnel in Middle East as Tehran attacked forces in the region
ft.com
The latest Canadian Cyber News Rewire is out. A very busy week in Canada, with growing discontent over AI expansion. As CMMC is on pause for DoD, CPCSC begins to prove it’s a stronger, better program than CMMC, even though it’s not in full force yet. www.cyberincontext.ca/p/canadian-c...
Canadian Cyber News Rewire - 18/07/26
Wiring you into the cyber news relevant to Canada the week ending July 18
cyberincontext.ca
Canada has a foreign intelligence agency. It's called CSE. No, it's not a HUMINT agency and it's not a full substitute for one, but it has twice the budget of CSIS and it's not doing nothing. Somewhat astounding that it's not even mentioned in the article.
David Strachan-Morris@drdavidsm.bsky.social · 3w agoInteresting article with points to consider about the use of covert action and clandestine collection, but the real value of a foreign intelligence agency is its ability to focus externally, process information and provide useful, timely, and relevant threat assessments. macleans.ca/society/are-...
From the Insight Monitor archives, here's a look at the "shooter-for-hire" problem in Toronto, possible state connections, and what Canada can and should do about it: newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/shooter-fo...
Shooter-for-Hire Networks and State Connections
Canadaland podcast
newsletter.insightthreatintel.com
New: A Canadian cybersecurity firm accused a former contractor of sharing trade secrets about a previously unknown flaw used to hack iPhones with a rival firm Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
IPhone Hacking Firm Sues Ex-Worker Over Alleged Theft of Secrets
Magnet Forensics Inc., a Canadian cybersecurity firm, accused a former contractor of sharing trade secrets about a previously unknown flaw used to hack iPhones with a rival firm.
bloomberg.com
Think tank’s website cloned by hostile foreign intelligence agency, founder says www.theglobeandmail.com/business/eco...
Think tank’s website cloned by hostile foreign intelligence agency, founder says
Macdonald-Laurier Institute says spoofed site was discovered during a Five Eyes investigation
theglobeandmail.com