On October 18, the Inter-American Defense Board held its Second Inter-American Cyber Defense Challenge, an event that brought together 14 countries and two international organizations, in a joint effort to strengthen cyber defense and promote international cooperation in the area. Innovative in nature, the challenge prioritized collaboration and information sharing between teams to address and solve realistic cyber challenges.
The countries that participated in the pioneering event were Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Canada, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, two international organizations, the Inter-American Defense Board and the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE/OAS), have joined forces to promote cyber capabilities in the Americas.
The Second Inter-American Cyber Defense Challenge is an integral part of the IADB Cyber Defense Program and represents the validation of the exercise model called “Cooperation for the Flag.” The first edition of the exercise was carried out by the IADB in collaboration with the companies Synack and Karambit.AI. In the second edition, the Brazilian company Gohacking provided the platform, challenges and a preparatory workshop on good practices in cyber defense. Additionally, Google Workspace offered a workshop on identity protection solutions. The workshops had more than 1000 people registered.
The innovative nature of the exercise stands out for not having a traditional scoreboard. Instead, the teams focused on cooperating through a command and control platform to share critical information to solve cyber problems. The challenges posed to participants varied in difficulty, requiring strong skills in areas such as computer networks, computer forensics, web scanning, log analysis, active defense, and malware reverse engineering, among others.
It is important to note that the participation of CICTE/OAS in IADB technical events is unprecedented and demonstrates the organizations' commitment to strengthening cyber capacity in the Americas.
Once the exercise was completed, a satisfaction survey was conducted that revealed the importance of events of this type to promote a cooperative mentality and strengthen international cyber defense. In addition, the suggestions received will be used to improve the products that the IADB offers to society.
The Inter-American Defense Board reaffirms its commitment to strengthening cyber defense and promoting international cooperation to face the growing challenges of the digital world, contributing to compliance with the OAS Charter in its four pillars: Democracy, Human Rights, Security and Development, with a main focus on the Security pillar.
