Cybersecurity: Let’s aim for strategies to be more effective in 2026

Ends 2025 with a huge amount of stories and reviews of events related to vulnerabilities in the computer security of organizations, institutions, or individuals, and of scams, thefts, and other damages caused by cybercrime.

On the eve of 2026, Unión Radio interviewed Rafael Núñez Aponte, in his capacity as an expert on the subject; the dialogue revealed the relationship between the rise of e-commerce and cyberattacks in Venezuela, both for seasonal reasons and in general.

E-commerce in Venezuela has seen a 95% growth, which is actually a very positive thing, but the phenomenon has been exploited for negative purposes by cybercriminals, who have triggered a proportional increase in cyber-attack cases.

Rafael Núñez, director of MásQueSeguridad and a cybersecurity specialist, explained that this high traffic creates more opportunities for cybercrime, as it uses this flow to spread malware and steal data.

 

According to the expert, Venezuela’s position on the international geopolitical agenda also draws the attention of criminals from other countries who operate without borders.

– Venezuela is in the news, so cybercriminals from any other country also come, we call their attention, and since there are no borders in the digital realm, they can launch attacks by fishing in troubled waters. What does that mean? Well, let’s see how Venezuela’s systems are, let’s see what IP addresses are and they start attacking remotely, details Núñez.

Cyberattacks and their methods

One of the most common vectors of cyberattacks in the banking sector, for example, is phishing, a technique that uses identity theft to obtain, steal, confidential information, which Núñez calls “decoy traps.”This method is based on social engineering, defined s the art of tricking people’s cognitive biases into voluntarily giving up data.

Rafael Núñez points out that these cyberattacks use psychological manipulation through emails, text messages, WhatsApp, or Telegram.

“They pose as a friend, an employee, or a trusted person, but they play with emotions (exploiting them); that is, psychological manipulation, using fear, joy, hurry, urgency, and people fall quickly,” he reasons.

The Venezuelan expert warns that criminals have become more sophisticated in their methods, going so far as to block a user’s access to their bank, then calling them and impersonating the institution to ask for passwords or coordinate cards, data that “the bank will never ask for over the phone.”

The rise of ransomware

One of the main concerns currently for digital security in the country is the increase of ransomware cases by 30 % to 40 %. This technical term refers to a malicious computer program that blocks and encrypts a company’s information, then demands a ransom, usually in cryptocurrency, to release it and return things to normal.

The specialist reveals and highlights preventively that this type of “virtual kidnapping” has already affected a large-scale telephone operator and a relevant private banking institution, with attacks that come mostly from Eastern Europe. Something that should undoubtedly prompt caution.

Given this reality, Núñez emphasizes the need for immutable and encrypted backup systems, as well as data segmentation, since “nothing is 100% secure” and current attacks can even be rented, enhanced, and programmed with the support of artificial intelligence.

Legislation and shortage of professionals

Institutionally, Núñez, who is also the director of security and a member of the board of the Venezuelan Chamber of E-commerce (Cavecom), said that legal reforms are being pushed forward.

The current Law against Computer Crimes dates back to 2001, so new regulations are being proposed to regulate artificial intelligence and to classify modern crimes such as bullying, grooming, and cyberbullying.

However, another obstacle is added to the convenient and necessary update of the legal framework: the lack of specialized human capital. Núñez emphasized that in Latin America, there is a shortage of nearly four million information security professionals.

“Many times the bank asks for a CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) and it can’t be found,” he added.

Although there are academic programs at universities located in San Antonio de Los Altos and Maracay, the specialist insists that there is a need for greater impetus and training that generates enough professionals to meet the labor demand in this field.

“I created a portal called másquecampus.com, with some updated and high-quality courses, but more initiatives and opportunities are needed. Personally, we attend, we go to international master’s programs, but there is still a need for more drive, not just in Venezuela, but in Latin America,” concludes expert Rafael Núñez Aponte.

Bitfinance.news

With information from Unión Radio, other media, and social media

Main reference image source: Freepik

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