Cyber crime puts Mexico in # 3 position worldwide; 80% have been victimized

Jan. 19, 2013 - Mexico not prepared for cyber attack, Pentagon says, placing its population at risk

Guadalajara -
Cyber crime is taking its toll on Mexicans, according to a recent report. Symantec, a California company that develops and sells computer security software, says 8 of every 10 adult computer users have been subjected to some form of computer threat or attack, and 7 of every 10 have had to deal with malicious viruses designed to gather confidential information from their machines. Only internet users in China and South Africa reported higher rates of attack by mass distributed malware.

The Symantec report was based upon almost 20,000 user interviews conducted in 24 countries.

There are almost no laws in Mexico which criminalize cyber attacks or the distribution of viruses and malicious software through the internet. Federal lawmakers hope to address the deficit later this year, by passing legislation which will help protect modern computer systems. Last September unidentified hackers took down a Mexican national defense computer, as well as a system in the state of Nayarit. Those events focused attention on the seriousness of the problem, and caused some to warn that drug cartels and organized crime elements might pursue the same strategy in the ongoing war against them.

Some activists warn that at the same time Mexico takes preliminary steps to protect itself from cyber crime, legislators must avoid any measure which would interfere with freedom of expression -- an inherent component, and primary purpose, of cyber space. For more on that topic read about the Twitter Terror case.

Jan. 19, 2013 - Things apparently haven't improved much since MGRR originally published this article 16 months ago. In a report quoted today by the Mexican press, the Pentagon said Mexico, unlike the United States and most of Europe and Asia, is ill-prepared for a cyber attack. The Spanish redaction claims "Mexico is not prepared for a cyber war that could debilitate government operational systems which provide and control core services such as clean water, electricity, security cameras, airline flights and transportation, and the safeguarding of basic biographical data on its citizens. A cyber attack could jeopardize integral government operations and place the population at risk, rendering it vulnerable to law enforcement and fire department emergencies, as well as identity theft."