CONSEJOSI Cybersecurity Manifesto: A Call to Action

Cybersecurity has become a focal point for public and private sector leaders after the greatest period of accelerated digitalization conditioned a proportional increase in ransomware attacks. During this learning period, a culture of cybersecurity awareness finally came to fruition in Mexico, prompting the Information Security and Cybersecurity Council (CONSEJOSI) to summon key actors to help foment a robust cybersecurity infrastructure as outlined in its Manifesto.

“As in all transformation processes that transcend, change must initiate and be sponsored by the formal leaders of society and nation,” reads the press release. These include: “organization leaders of civil society, companies’ management teams, rectors of higher education [and] heads of [the] executive, legislative and judicial powers.”

Ultimately, the council’s objective is centered on coordinating these key actors and aid them in their composition and dissemination of cybersecurity information and knowledge, which is ultimately meant to inform the design of public policies and decision-making. The alternative, the organization stresses, is the continued onslaught of ransomware attacks that have incurred an estimated US$6 billion in damages this year alone—and are expected to get worse.

For refence, Mexico was on the receiving end of more than 800 million attempted cyberattacks in 2020, according to cybersecurity company Fortinet. This marked preference on behalf of cybercriminals is directly associated to a culture of prior indifference to cybersecurity as evidenced by a lack of awareness, absent protocols and porous security infrastructure. Mexican Public and Private institutions have made progress over the past two years but there is still a lot of room for improvement and their work is imperative in an increasingly digitalizing world.

Early collaborators include the Institute of Public Accounts of Nuevo Leon (IPNL) and the College of Lawyers of Nuevo Leon, both of which are centered in the technology hub of Monterrey. During live transmission, the IPNL announced that it has begun to synergize with cybersecurity experts and specialists to inform regional strategy development. Meanwhile, the college of lawyers announced that it would be aiding in the development of the language that would inform the legal infrastructure. 

With this manifesto CONSEJOSI aims to spearhead the development of a “cyber-safe” infrastructure in Mexico, which it recognizes as critical infrastructure in an increasingly digital world.