Get the latest security and defense stories from across the Americas.
The Colombian Navy led the first cybersecurity, cyber defense, and cyber intelligence exercise as part of international exercise UNITAS LXIV, held in Cartagena July 11-21. This was the first time in the history of UNITAS that such an exercise was carried out. The exercise was attended by participants from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, South…
“South America is critical to the Western Hemisphere — it’s so important! It’s importance surpasses the economic ties and the wealth of its natural resources… Yet, the entire region, to include South America is facing unparalleled threats in the cyber domain and from climate change,” said U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), as she welcomed chiefs…
The United States and Costa Rica announced August 21 a collaborative security initiative that will strengthen Costa Rica’s cyber defenses against threats from malicious actors. In San José, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and the Commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson, announced a three-year, $9.8 million U.S. funded security assistance initiative that will strengthen Costa Rica’s cyber defense capacity.…
The Chilean Air Force (FACh) launched its FASat-Delta satellite, a milestone that initiates the implementation of its National Satellite System (SNSat). The device left for space from the U.S. Space Force’s Vandenberg Base in Santa Barbara, California, aboard the Falcon 9 rocket transport module of U.S. company SpaceX. “Thanks to FASat-Delta, Chile will improve the monitoring of its borders and…
Operation HARPY SUR, a space exercise nested under Exercise Resolute Sentinel 2023 (RS23), has opened a new chapter in international space collaboration at the Satellite Imagery Operations National Center (CNOIS), in southern Peru. The space exercise aimed to bolster the region’s emerging space programs. The U. S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) led exercise partnered up with U. S. Space Command’s (SPACECOM)…
A coalition of U.S. security agencies dismantled Russia’s global Snake Malware network, considered “the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool designed and used by Russia’s Federal Security Service [FSB] for long-term intelligence gathering on sensitive targets,” the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) said in May. “This network, supported by Russian intelligence, was responsible for highly sophisticated cyberattacks targeting government institutions, embassies,…
The IX International Exhibition of Technology for Defense and Disaster Prevention carried out in Lima Peru (SITDEF Peru 2023), presented the latest advances in defense, disaster prevention, and cybersecurity technology to more than 30,000 visitors. National exhibitors and representatives from 27 countries participated in the event. “There were more than 150 companies from around the world dedicated to security, defense,…
U.S. cybersecurity firm Mandiant, a subsidiary of Google, said that Chinese hackers, backed by their government, used a vulnerability in a well-known e-mail security device to access the networks of numerous public and private organizations in several countries worldwide, the Associated Press (AP) reported on June 15. “The Chinese state does maintain agreements with those [hacking] groups,” Victor Ruiz, founder…
The Bahamas offers a paradise for tourists with its white sandy shores, blue waters, fishing, and scuba diving among many activities, but it is also a transnational criminal organizations’ maritime haven for drugs and human trafficking, illegal fishing, and other related crimes. To counter those security threats, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) partners with local and regional agencies banking…
For the second time, Jamaica co-hosted the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC) 2023, held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, June 6-9, 2023. CANSEC, a U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) annual regional security forum, brought together 21 nations, under the theme, “Strengthening Regional Security Through Informed Action.” CANSEC aims at fostering ties of cooperation, examining challenges, sharing lessons learned, and enhancing cooperation on security and defense issues. “The security threats…
In a northeastern suburb of Moscow, behind the walls of a cybersecurity consulting firm, NTC Vulkan engineers help Russia’s intelligence agencies strengthen their hacking operations, launch cyberattacks, sow disinformation, train agents on how to ambush national infrastructure, and monitor sections of the internet, The Vulkan Files, an international investigative project based on thousands of confidential corporate documents, indicated. This research,…
The United States committed to donate $25 million to Costa Rica to help strengthen its cybersecurity and digital infrastructure against threats from malicious actors. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications (MICITT) and the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica announced the initiative. “The U.S. government’s support is very important for Costa Rica, as it allows us to take…
