The day opened with Juan Manuel Aguilar, who tackled the growing threat of ransomware and hacktivism targeting government institutions across Latin America. Using recent case studies, Aguilar illustrated the devastating impact of these attacks on national infrastructure and security, highlighting strategies for bolstering international cooperation to improve cyber resilience in the region. His session set also underscore the pressing need for cross-border collaboration in cybersecurity.
The morning also features Tadas Jakstas’ session on the role of national CSIRTs in crisis management, shedding light on how these cybersecurity agencies should be involved in defining of, preparing for, managing, and recovering from cyber crises. Jakstas emphasized that CSIRTs play a critical role in both prevention and response, ensuring readiness and a coordinated approach to cybersecurity incidents.
Koen Van Impe brought participants into the technical realm of threat intelligence, bridging theory and practice by providing hands-on training in tools like MISP, helping attendees strengthen their skills in identifying and responding to cyber threats in real-time.
Throughout the day, sessions focused on resilience and practical defense strategies. Miroslav Stampar showcased Croatia’s Maltrail system, an innovative tool designed to detect malicious network traffic. He provided insights into how it identifies potential threats, giving attendees actionable steps for improving network monitoring. César Farro Flores’ in-depth session on ransomware protection covered infection vectors and the critical role of public sector resilience in mitigating these threats. His presentation offered the audience recommendations to build a stronger defense against ransomware across the region.
Cloud resilience and artificial intelligence were also key topics. Godfrey Kutumela emphasized the role of cloud-based business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) approaches in maintaining organizational resilience, with strategies for deploying these tools in Latin America and the Caribbean. AI’s role in cybersecurity took center stage as Jurica Čular and Rick Logan-Stanford discussed the role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity, AI-driven methods to enhance security defenses and predict emerging threats. In a final session, Kutumela returned to explore AI’s integration into incident response, sharing real-world applications and best practices for using AI for cyber defense capabilities.
Day two concluded with a forward-looking discussion on leveraging advanced technologies to address the region’s unique cybersecurity challenges, equipping participants with knowledge and tools to bolster resilience across borders. CyberWeek@LAC4 will continue tomorrow with 0ct0b3rf35t, a side-event to encourage free-form conversations and networking among participants.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBRCaK
