Former Nortel offices had listening devices discovered as the Department of National Defense was preparing to move in.
Ottawa Citizen, BY DAVID PUGLIESE, September 30, 2013
OTTAWA — Workers preparing the former Nortel complex as the new home for the Department of National Defence have discovered electronic eavesdropping devices, prompting new fears about the security of the facility.
It’s not clear whether the devices were recently planted or left over from an industrial espionage operation when Nortel occupied the complex.
Asked for details about the listening devices and whether they were still functioning, the DND responded with a statement to the Citizen that it takes security at its installations seriously.
“The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces cannot provide any information regarding specific measures and tests undertaken to secure a location or facility for reasons of national security,” noted an email from DND spokeswoman Carole Brown. “The DND/CAF must maintain a safe and secure environment at all of its facilities, in order to maintain Canada’s security posture at home and abroad.”
Recently released DND documents, however, indicate that concerns about the security surrounding the former Nortel campus at 3500 Carling Ave. were raised last year.
A briefing document for then Defence Minister Peter MacKay warned that the public announcement the DND was moving into the complex before it could be properly secured created a major problem. “This not only raises the level of difficulty of verifying appropriate security safeguards in the future, it will probably dramatically increase security costs and cause delays to reach full operational capability,” MacKay was told in April 2012 by Canadian Forces security officers.
The briefing note was released under the Access to Information law.
Last year it was also revealed that Nortel had been the target of industrial espionage for almost a decade, with the main culprits thought to be hackers based in China. An internal security study by Nortel suggested that the hackers had been able to download research and development studies and business plans starting in 2000.
The hackers also placed spyware so deep into some employee computers it escaped detection, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.
Newly acquired buildings or offices may have been the target of previous industrial espionage activities. If you are concerned about information security, consider having new facilities electronically swept prior to moving in. Devices could have been left over from previous tenants, or they could have been placed by workers during renovations. A thorough information security review during planning stages could also reveal potential vulnerabilities that could compromise proprietary information if left unchecked. Additional article from CTV News: The Department of National Defence may not move into its new headquarters at a former Nortel Networks complex because the building is riddled with eavesdropping devices. DND told CTV News it may abandon the move, and sources said it’s unlikely any other department would take over the former Nortel site because of the security risks. Former Nortel employees allege the company was the target of Chinese espionage for nearly a decade. The Department of National Defence may not move into its new headquarters at a former Nortel Networks complex because the building is riddled with eavesdropping devices. The Department of National Defence may not move into its new headquarters at a former Nortel Networks complex because the building is riddled with eavesdropping devices. Keith Murphy, CEO of the information security company Defence Intelligence, said it’s not a suitable home for DND. “It seems an odd choice to choose to move an organization of that nature into a site that you know was compromised and a victim of espionage,” he told CTV News. DND won’t discuss the security risk at the former Nortel campus, but said it takes the threat seriously. The Conservative government has already set aside approximately $1 billion for its plan to move DND to the new headquarters. “Spending $1 billion on a new headquarters, even if it’s state-of-the-art — and of course, it isn’t — is a really bad idea,” said retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie. Documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen show that then-Defence Minister Peter MacKay was warned about the security threat last year. MacKay was informed in a briefing note that the costs to relocate could be substantially more than the $1 billion earmarked by Ottawa. “This not only raises the level of difficulty of verifying appropriate security safeguards in the future, it will probably dramatically increase security costs and cause delays to reach full operational capability,” MacKay was told last year.
Published Monday, September 30, 2013 10:09PM EDT 
