The situation facing the country today regarding the massive cyber attack is urgent and sensitive. This isn’t just about shutting down servers, it’s also about hijacking information from key government agencies.
In fact, Presidential advisor on digital security and cybersecurity Julio Cesar Mancipe and presidential ICT advisor Saúl Kattan Cohen told EL TIEMPO that cybercriminals They demand a cryptocurrency value to publish the data.
Experts also explained the sensitivity of this issue, IFX Network’s response, and how it affects processes.
(You can read: Major cyber attack in Colombia: What did the affected government agencies say?).
The cyber attack took the form of Ransomware (digital ‘hijacking’ of information and applications) against the IFX Network and affected over 700 machines with encryption.
IFX Network is a communications services and digital platform company operating in more than 17 countries. Actually, The same thing happens in Argentina, Panama and Chile.
The public institutions affected so far are: Industry and Trade Inspectorate, Health Inspectorate, Supreme Council of the Judiciary, Ministry of Health and Social Protection and others.
Therefore, El TIEMPO learned from Government sources that an emergency Unified Command Post (PMU) was convened due to the seriousness of the situation.
The balance of this situation is enormous.
Saúl Kattan Cohen told EL TIEMPO that “the attack could be against hundreds of companies and Colombia does not have the tools to face it.”
He also said: “More “2 million judicial processes have been paralyzed due to the Judicial Branch suspending the deadlines for now until Monday.”
On the other hand, most health services are compromised and “we’re in a really tough spot at the national level.”
According to Julio Cesar Mancipe, presidential digital security and cybersecurity advisor, this much is certain: Cybercriminals stole information from SIC, Supersalud, Ministry of Health and Judicial Branch.
“The information that IFX has is already encrypted, so it is certain that the attacker already owns this data,” the expert said.
Additionally, attackers demand a cryptocurrency value to hand over the security key of the encryption affecting the machines.
(Continue reading: US condemns infiltration via China-sponsored ‘cyberattack’).
Julio Cesar Mancipe said that IFX Network is considered a professional organization, but when the attack occurred the company was “deprived of services, neither emergency, nor backup.”
He even emphasized how sensitive the issue is as recovery becomes more complex because IFX cannot access these organizations’ data until it recovers its platform.
The company says it needs 36 hours to resolve the issue. But, Deadlines have been extended and it is likely that they will continue to be extended.
Julio Cesar Mancipe, the presidential digital security and cybersecurity advisor, spoke with affected organizations and some external providers to confirm they have backup support; because if the recovery period passed, cybercriminals could transfer the information offered for sale on the Dark Web.
In the midst of the crisis created by this systematic attack on the country’s critical infrastructure, the national government reminded: The importance of establishing the new National Cybersecurity and Space Affairs AgencyIt is focused on preventing and containing such digital aggression that could leave critical assets for the country out of service.
Saúl Kattan, senior advisor to the Presidency on technology issues, noted that “this (digital) attack could be considered the largest attack on infrastructure in Colombia in recent years. That is why it is important to urgently establish the Agency for National Security and Space Affairs”.
(
This formation was not passed by one vote in the last parliament. In this new parliamentary cycle, it was reintroduced by the Executive, with the expectation that it would receive the necessary votes.
In this proposal is another parliamentary initiative to create an equal entity, led by Senator David Luna. Both projects are very similar in terms of technical structure and goals, except for the dependency: the dependency on the Presidency or the Ministry of ICT is a feature that distinguishes the projects and is expected to be resolved soon to give a way to it.
Kattan insisted that: “In all countries andThese cybersecurity institutions report directly to the Presidency“according to height and transverse traction and articulation capacity as well as budget allocation.
GERALDINE BAJONERO VÁSQUEZ
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I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
