Guacamaya Leaks revealed how easy it is to attack the computer system of a government agency.
With the extraction of 6 terabytes of information, the place that the country occupies in cybersecurity was verified.
Mexico has a cyber security index of only 37.66 points out of 100, below Nigeria.
While the massive hacking of the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) continues to reveal sensitive and confidential information from the federal government, through a group that calls itself Guacamaya Leaks, the conversation and digital concern focused on a problem that is already dragging Mexico for a long time, because it is not for nothing that it is in the top five of Latin American countries most attacked by cybercrime.
According to a study prepared by the Cyberthreat Edge Report, cybersecurity has been one of the topics on the agenda of public authorities and private initiative, since only in the last year, 90.6 percent of the companies that were attacked by cybercriminals registered at least one successful computer vulnerability. This puts Mexico in fourth place, out of a list of 17 nations in LATAM, with high rates of cybercrime.
Likewise, to contrast the magnitude of the problem, it should be clarified that in the Latin American region nearly 400 billion cyber theft attempts were reported in 2020, while in the last quarter of 2o22 it is known that they have been registered around 10.6 billion computer theft attempts in the country, according to figures from Fortinet.
This makes it clear that, as technology and digital opportunities grow, so do the risks, the need for study, analysis and containment and, of course, public spending.
And it is that, according to the approximate Infosecurity, cyber attacks can cost the federal government up to $8 billion (about 159 thousand 984 million 960 thousand Mexican pesos), and if it is only about ransomware attacks or data kidnapping, the price could be 2.03 million dollars per attack.
Cybercrime in Mexico, the ‘virus’ prior to Guacamaya Leaks
Much has been said about the revelations of the Guacamaya Leaks hack, which shows the vulnerability not only of Sedena, but of the entire country, in cyber issues where the systems for preventing, analyzing and containing attacks are weak and neglected.
Although the federal issue continues to be investigated, after revealing controversial facts, such as the fact that the Army has been using the malware ‘Pegasus’ with the intention of using it to spy on journalists and influential activists, or that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had to undergo an emergency catheterization due to his heart problems, the sights have been placed on the digital operations and processes of companies in various industries. , as well as at the government level, where cybersecurity is focused as a priority for 2023.
And it is that National Cybersecurity Index shows that Mexico has a cyber security index of only 37.66 points out of 100, which ranks it 84th out of 160 globally. This means that it is less protected and trained than countries like Brazil, Panama, Nigeria or Kenya, to name a few.
Types most used by cybercrime
With the passage of time and the evolution of technologies, the digital age is increasingly present in people around the world, who do use of electronic devices and other alternatives to implement them within their daily lives for work, educational and recreational purposes among other options to consider, either through the use of smartphones, tablets, computers and even cars.
Taking this into account, a FBI report and Statista shows the most common cybercrimes among American Internet users in 2021, which are also becoming visible in Latin America:
According to information from the World Economic Forum (WEF), during the decrease in social mobility and the increase in digital permanence due to Covid-19, cyberattacks recorded a 151 percent increase on small and medium-sized businessesbecause these were the ones that had the fewest resources dedicated to digital security.
These types of cybercrime acts have caused various companies to bet on making powerful efforts and alliances to avoid being one more victim of this type of harmful situation for both their brands and their consumers.
Mexico is one more example.
Recently, Chile also acknowledged an intrusion into the emails of its Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressing concern about a hack like the one in Mexico with Guacamaya Leaks; however, unlike the Mexican government, this South American country is studying possible similarities with cyber attacks that occurred in El Salvador, Peru and Colombia.
In Chile, 10 terabytes of information were stolen, also about its Armed Forces, but Defense Minister Maya Alejandra Fernández Allende assured in a short time that her containment measures would have paid off and the damage had not been as great as with the leak. of Sedena.
Macaw Leaks: The Other Revelations
The vulnerability evidenced by hackers who call themselves Guacamaya Leaks also revealed the importance of cybersecurity in public and private investment.
According to experts, last semester the Mexican government had presented a weakness called ProxyShell, in the Microsoft Exchange server, and since it was not detected in time, in addition to the lack of resources, it could not be corrected, which caused them to be “patched”. system updates and this problem will evolve into what today has been called “the worst state hack”.
And it is that the 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study reveals that globally there is a deficit of 2.7 million vacancies in cybersecurity, while in Mexico they are lacking 260 thousand professionals focused on this branch, which establishes a shortage of personnel, but also a low demand and investment for its promotion.
Its counterpart is the groups dedicated to cybercrime, who are increasingly professional and have even shaped industries such as ransomware (sequestration of sensitive information) that operated against Sedena and that is recognized in Silicon Valley startups.
All these figures make one position clear: neither companies nor businesses, much less the State, should skimp on expenses that support the cybersecurity of connected users who, in the end, are the weakest link targeted by attacks.
Now read:
Cybersecurity in Mexico, without infrastructure against computer attacks
Gaming trend will boost cybersecurity education
Bots outnumber internet users and put their cybersecurity at risk