Latin America remains vulnerable to hostile cyber activity, especially as the region’s economies become more technically adept. Cyber security practices are currently failing to keep up with advancements in digitization as Cyber crime, cyber espionage, and hacktivism have targeted Mexico, in particular. On pace to be among the top ten economies in the world by 2050, Mexico has achieved economic heights as a result of increased Internet access and implementation of e- commerce. As such, Mexico has been attracting the attention of enterprising hostile cyber actors seeking to exploit commercial organizations for financial reward. While promising government initiatives like the establishment of a national cyber security strategy and legal frameworks demonstrate Mexico’s awareness of the importance of cyber security, they are at a nascent stage. Though Mexico houses several command centers for cybersecurity crises, enforcement of such laws against cyber attacks has been universally weak.
To further complicate things, several international state actors have been accused of usurping the country’s finances. Suspected North Korean hackers attempted to steal money from Mexican banks in 2016. The hackers ended up deploying destructive malware after they had unsuccessfully exploited the SWIFT payment system to steal money via fraudulent transfer requests. In 2017, more than 500 companies in Mexico were infected with the WannaCry ransomware, believed to have been orchestrated by North Korea. Even Mexico’s own government has been suspected of complicit behavior in which surveillance spyware was deployed on journalists’ and activists’ smartphones back in 2017. Russia has also been actively seeking to expand its influence in Latin America in order to offset U.S. influence in the region. Russian operatives are believed to have conducted cyber espionage against Government of Mexico targets, although no specifics were provided to determine the cause.
However, while legislation exists that addresses technology-related crime, Mexico’s failure to incentivize or compel organizations to report breaches, makes it difficult to understand the full impact of hostile cyber activity in the country. This needs to change in order to develop proper cyber security initiatives to adequately address these criminal activities. Such changes require budget reallocation towards enhanced firewall technology to protect government and corporate encrypted virtual private networks and proxy servers.
Sources:
Guenther, Rita, et al., eds. Science and technology to counter terrorism: Proceedings of an Indo-US workshop. National Academies Press, 2007.
https://www.lookingglasscyber.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/STRATISS-Cyber_Landscape_Mexico.pdf
Tim,
This is an interesting post, which added to my knowledge of the state of cyber crime in Mexico. A number of years ago, my work responsibilities (long before Baruch) took me to Mexico fairly regularly, and I remember feeling elated if I managed to connect my computer via the antiquated Mexican phone network! Obviously, things have changed in the interim. While it is encouraging to learn that Mexico’s economy has grown to the extent that cyber criminals consider the country worth their time and effort, I am also not surprised that the government’s efforts to protect against cyber crime is lax and in need of improvement. This would seem to fit with the larger problem of corruption and ineffective government. –Professor Wallerstein