MinDefensa reported more than 48,000 complaints of cybercrime in 2021

On the afternoon of this Thursday, March 17, the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano, said that during 2021 more than 48,000 complaints of cybercrime were registered in the country. In Colombia, cybercrime can be defined as unlawful or unauthorized access to data and information that is protected in digital formats, these acts are criminalized in Law 1273 of 2009.

The head of the military portfolio pointed out that cybersecurity and cyberspace are issues of national interest, but that it should also be an issue of international relevance, “in the Ministry of Defense we are looking to make a maximum effort to strengthen our capacities of all our public forces, to protect security national in all domains of war, including the domain of cyberspace,” he explained.

Before the media, Molano was specific in saying: “In Colombia, on computer crime, citizens reported 48,831 complaints through the Virtual CAI during 2021. In one day, the Defense sector processes 128 million records of cyber interactions and 150,000 malicious events are blocked,” the minister said. He also said that many of the allegations are in the process of being prosecuted.

The 2009 law emphasizes that cybercrime is the conduct in which “criminals use computer programs to commit crimes such as virus implantation, website impersonation, scams, copyright infringement, piracy”.

The Police Cyber Center reported that 18,578 URLs were blocked in 2021 for malicious content. He also explained that among the main computer crimes presented during the year are grooming, a name given to the deliberate action of an adult, male or female, to sexually harass a girl, boy or adolescent through a digital medium. There were 516 incidents of this crime. In second and third place are sextortion with 62 cases and cyberbullying with 325 facts, respectively.

During his speech, the minister stressed that the national government is working to address the threats and assured that a cyber protection ecosystem is being implemented. The official said that this ecosystem has three components: Office of Cyber Incident Response (CSIRT), Joint Cyber Command and Cyber Police Center.

Firstly, he noted that in December 2021, the CSIRT was created, which is responsible for incident management and for generating guidelines for citizen cybersecurity. For its part, the Joint Cybernetic Command is responsible for carrying out military operations in cyberspace for the defense of the State. And finally, the Police Cybernetic Center is the delegate of the criminal investigation against cybercrimes, which affect information and data.

1. Do not respond to or click on links you receive from unknown senders; first make sure it is a reliable source.

2. Change your passwords periodically and use a different one for each of your accounts.

3. Don't leave your accounts open on public computers; avoid accepting people you don't know on your social networks, even if you have a lot of mutual friends.

4. Be aware of the privacy ratings that social networks offer for posting content.

5. Don't post everything you do, or all the places you go. Keep in mind that this is information that criminals can use.

6. Avoid exchanging photos, videos, or intimate messages over the Internet. Remember that it can become content for other risks such as cyberbullying or grooming.

7. Avoid encounters with people you have met in digital environments; keep in mind that there is always the possibility that it is a fake profile.

8. Control the browsing time of children and adolescents on the Internet, applying parental control tools.

9. Be aware of the pages and instant messaging platforms used by children and adolescents.

10. Report and report any situation that violates its integrity in digital environments through line 141 of the National Police; the National Virtual Complaint System (https://adenunciar.policia.gov.co/adenunciar), and the Virtual CAI of the National Police at ( https://caivirtual.policia.gov.co/).

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