Brazil has a team of official FBI agents called CAT – Cyber Action Team, trained and instructed by the official agent Marco Gonzalez, that operates globally in cyber incidents, conducting investigations, investigations and implementing strategies in order to ensure the security and protection of sensitive data of organizations and citizens. In times of digitalization and artificial intelligence, attacks and strikes in cybercrime networks are identified with high frequency and therefore, it is important to investigate the tactics used by digital criminals to circumvent the challenges of this increasingly interconnected and threatened scenario
In your participation at the Cyber Security Summit 2024, held on the 28th and 29th of October, in São Paulo, Marco shared perspectives as an FBI agent and revealed insights regarding the investigations carried out in Brazil by his team – country ranked as the 2nd most cyber-attacked in the world. The increasing sophistication of crimes that threaten the cybersecurity of Brazilians, в загальній формі, brought attacks on a global scale that not only compromised information, threaten the security and reputation of the government and companies. "Among the main types of threats identified", we found data suppliers that participate in criminal groups and multinational institutions specializing in information theft for financial purposes.In addition, hacktivism is a concern, because individuals motivated by political or social reasons seek to expose information rather than obtain financial profit. Terrorism also becomes a relevant issue, with organizations using the internet for recruitment and the spread of extremist ideologies, explain the agent
According to the agent, the investigations revealed that the main methods of operation of criminals often involve the exploitation of human vulnerabilities, taking advantage of failures and finding opportunities in mistakes made by employees who may be demotivated, dissatisfied or even using social engineering to gain access to the systems. In this sense, Marco also warns that the collection of sensitive data can also occur through social networks for understanding behaviors and planning attacks
To combat threats of scams or even to prevent new attacks from being completed, the FBI adopted well-designed and strategic measures. The first is the reduction of vulnerability, promoting collaboration between government and private sector to share information and strengthen cybersecurity. The other practice is the reduction of the threat that involves initiatives to change behaviors and increase awareness of security practices. Finally, harm reduction is a priority, with the creation of clear processes to respond to attacks and quickly restore operations. "Our team works with local and state authorities to improve the response to cyber crimes", offering training and technical support. Collaboration with the private sector is encouraged by the FBI and we seek companies that report cyber intrusions, promoting a joint approach in the fight against cybercrime networks, finalizes Marco Gonzalez
Cybersecurity requires a collaborative effort between government and the private sector, according to the perspectives addressed by the FBI agent who has been working in Brazil for years. "The exchange of information and cooperation are essential for us to face the constant evolution of cyber threats and the emergence of new scams so frequently", reinforces Gonzalez. The approach used by the agent brought the term "one team" during their participation in the Cyber Security Summit Brazil as a way to enlighten the guests about the strength of joint work and integration of efforts to reduce human vulnerabilities, reducing damage caused by incidents quickly and effectively.
