According to information security specialists, the Chilean Army has confirmed a hacking attack that compromised its email service, this occurred just one month after the hacking of the computer systems of the Chilean Police, arising from the multiple social protests registered in the country.
In the official statement about the incident, the military mentions: “A criminal organization unauthorized on Twitter published the contents of six of our email accounts, forcing the implementation of a security protocol in order to avoid further leaks.”
The Chilean Army’s email service is provided by an external company, information security experts say, and is the main channel of communication of Chilean defense with other government institutions and private providers. On the other hand, Chilean media indicate that, in the information presented, there are some reports on meetings of senior army officials with important Chilean businessmen, contact with foreign security firms and cooperation agreements with the US government. In total, 3,500 emails would have been leaked, plus some other documents.
Among the most prominent mailboxes are those belonging to Guillermo Paiva, director of intelligence of the Chilean Army, and Patricio Veas, the Institution’s financial boss. The exposed files were uploaded to an information distribution center, which made them available for consultation worldwide.
After the incident was discovered, the army IT department began implementing some security measures to prevent subsequent similar incidents and begin searching for useful information to uncover those responsible, a task that is still ongoing, information security specialists say.
In conclusion, Chile’s military stated that unauthorized access to these mail accounts did not affect any of its critical computer systems, so its entire IT infrastructure continues to operate on a regular basis.
The political instability and social discontent prevailing in Chile also have cybersecurity-related repercussions. In recent months, specialists from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) reported the emergence of a database containing multiple details of officials and police officers involved in rights violations scandals against hundreds of Chilean citizens.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
