From Venezuela, engineer Lino Simoes, general manager of MásQueSeguridad (MQD), urges Latin American companies to rethink cybersecurity as an “essential investment for business resilience,” highlighting that cyberattacks in the region increased by 40 % in 2024, according to the OAS-CICTE.

“In challenging economies like ours, every dollar counts. But reducing cybersecurity to an ‘expense’ is a catastrophic mistake: protecting data means ensuring business continuity,” Simoes points out. “A single breach can cost up to four times more than implementing robust solutions, not counting reputational damage.”

Why is investing in cybersecurity profitable?

Lino Simoes bases his position on three pillars:

1. Protection of critical assets:

“78% of Venezuelan SMEs depend on digital data (according to CAVEDATOS). Losing them to ransomware paralyzes operations and generates fines as a result of international data protection regulations.”

2. International competitiveness:

“Companies with ISO 27001 certifications access global markets. Investors demand security guarantees. 65% reject projects without clear protocols (as reflected in the Deloitte LATAM 2024 Study).”

3. Long-term savings:

“Early vulnerability detection reduces remediation costs by 90%. Clients in Colombia and Panama recover their investment in 18 months.”

Landmark case

– A Venezuelan agro-industrial company avoided losses of USD $280,000 after a phishing attempt targeting its financial department, thanks to MásQueSeguridad’s proactive monitoring system. The previous investment was USD $12,000.

A compelling statement

“The right question is not: Can we afford to invest in security? But rather: Can we risk not doing so?” Simoes states, adding that “in Latin America, where digital fraud is growing by 25% annually, this determines which companies survive.”

About MasQueSeguridad

– We are a leading cybersecurity solutions firm for Latin America, based in Venezuela. We specialize in ISO 27001 audits, incident response, and digital awareness training.

Contact Information

Mail: contacto@masqueseguridad.com.ve

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La entrada Cybersecurity is a strategic investment, not an expense; says Lino Simoes of MásQueSeguridad apareció primero en Bitfinance.

As is already known, in the current digital age, cyber threats unfortunately represent one of the greatest risks for companies of all sizes and sectors. It is evident that cyberattacks can have devastating consequences, from the loss of critical data and operational interruptions, to reputational damage and large fines for regulatory non-compliance. This is why Pegaso Corretaje de Seguros presents IronSecurity, in association with Más Que Seguridad (MQS), an innovative comprehensive cyber insurance, thus leading cybersecurity based on a solid track record.

With the support and collaboration of MQS, a leading cybersecurity company in the Venezuelan context, one of the most prominent and mentioned abroad, whose director is Rafael Núñez Aponte, an expert in information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as an international speaker, IronSecurity is providing the most complete and advanced solution on the market.

Núñez points out that this assistance and products “combine cutting-edge preventive services, incident response with the participation of specialists and comprehensive coverage of financial losses. They offer 360-degree protection against the most sophisticated and harmful threats.”

In Venezuela, digital transformation has led companies to face new risks. According to data shared during the First International Cybersecurity Congress, the annual increase in ransomware or data kidnapping worldwide has grown 20% year after year, continuously for the last four years.

-Only in Latin America, more than 470 thousand attacks were registered, and many Venezuelan companies are part of this statistic, with a high financial impact in various sectors of the economy and national life, especially the financial and telecommunications sectors.

The average cost of a ransomware attack is estimated at $5 million, and it can take an organization about 190 days to discover – identify and confirm – that it has been compromised.

All organizations are at risk / Service packages

IronSecurity offers a suite (set of tools and programs) with risk control resources for companies of all sizes, built on almost two decades of experience in cyber insurance, which stands out and is a leader.

Therefore, it is 100 % advisable to contact them and obtain more information on the matter, since through their policies, in different variants, against cyber threats, broad and effective protection is obtained.

In the current panorama of constantly evolving cyber threats, it is concluded that it is essential for companies in Venezuela to have solid and reliable protection. IronSecurity represents the most complete and cutting-edge solution on the market, combining, as has been said, preventive services, incident response and financial coverage, so that your business is prepared for current and future cyber challenges, ends specialist Rafael Núñez.

With information from MQS and Pegaso Corretaje de Seguros

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La entrada Más Que Seguridad and Rafael Núñez endorse Iron Security apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The Venezuelan International Telecommunications Fair (FITELVEN) 2024 began on Wednesday, September 18 and ended on Saturday, September 21. The main players in the technology and telecommunications industry met there, in an environment conducive to the exchange of ideas as well as the discovery and use of new technologies.

Event with abundant public attendance

The event and fair of international projection plays a relevant role in the technicalization of the country, since Venezuela lives a crucial moment of its technological development. The Poliedro de Caracas was the epicenter of this event and space for collaboration, innovation and secure technicalization: 200 brand stands, some forty conferences and more than ten certified courses were materialized in it.

Companies and professionals must stay both updated and at the forefront

MásQueSeguridad presented its latest solutions in cybersecurity, strengthening its commitment to data protection and system integrity.

Regarding mitigation and protection strategies, Rafael Núñez Aponte, who is CEO of MQS, gave a conference in his role as a specialist or expert, in which he addressed highly current issues and shared suggestions for protection as well as for the optimization of preventive tasks.

Núñez explained how teams focused on prevention, protection and security are currently organized; commenting, although it is a separate and different issue, but related to the risks, on the recent detonation of thousands of communication devices in Lebanon.

“We must take great care, monitor and verify the supply chain,” this applies to both telecommunications and IT activities. And in general it covers and is valid in all sensitive operations susceptible to attacks or sabotage, “trust but verify.”

Video news coverage

Here is a video summary of the interesting experience, which we invite you to listen to and watch.

Live and in-person coverage / Grupo de Comunicación Digital EL SUMARIO

Audiovisual production: Ida Febres

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La entrada Rafael Núñez at FITELVEN: To be cyber protected, «trust but verify» apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Whereas, organizations have expanded their digital connections exponentially in recent years, lengthening their digital frontier and becoming increasingly vulnerable to digital attacks; For the resilience of a company, it is essential to develop digital security policies and plans that are consistent with current and future conditions.

So every day, the role of the different CxOs in the digital security of organizations is more important, collaborating closely with the CISO.

These topics were expanded and deepened by two experts and invited speakers, Gustavo Quiñones, Support & CyberSOC Manager of ESET Latin America, and Rafael Núñez, digital security specialist, director of MásQueSeguridad and MásQueDigital, who, although they received applause, were interacting with other qualified specialists from the panel area and within the attendees, as they took the floor and further enriched the examination and debate.

The interesting conference-forum-discussion was held under the call of PwC, in the context of its program “Growing in the New Economy: technology for disruption, innovation and growth”, and took place in the auditorium of its headquarters building in Chuao, Caracas.

Rafael Núñez emphasized prevention, noting that cyberattackers that have become a “criminal industry” are making use of Artificial Intelligence for their purposes, which they alternate with Social Engineering tactics or techniques to deceive victims

Rafa Núñez captured the attention of the audience by explaining how the advances connected to and derived from Artificial Intelligence are being used for purposes of violating the laws, carrying out crimes and sophisticating deception, fraud and extortion procedures.

At another point in the event organized by PwC, Gustavo Quiñonez, manager of ESET, described different “Trojans”, some quite evolved, designed by criminals to specifically harm people and institutions in the banking system, for example.

There was also talk of the use of advanced technologies and almost unthinkable applications, deployed in the fields of espionage and the military industry.

Multiple and innumerable risks occur both in the organizational-corporate context and in the personal sphere, and in the future more attacks will be done via mobile devices than is done today. So we must review and update security in these times of Artificial Intelligence

Cybercrime has grown both in size and in the volume of money it captures or seizes, it currently has human resources and technology in the region, in the area, producing attacks from and to Latin America (Mexico, Brazil and Chile were mentioned). And this means losses for companies and also for individuals, cybercriminals are increasingly intensifying and diversifying their attacks.

Perhaps the most general and at the same time most accurate conclusion is that just as a new economy is lived, a new integral reality is also lived, accompanied by new risks, against which one must be cautious; we must take preventive measures, avoid as much as possible attacks and losses, act before they occur, and it is too late.

With information from Doble Llave and El Sumario

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La entrada Cybersecurity in times of Artificial Intelligence apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Through various publications on social networks, it has been possible to appreciate the capture of a WhatsApp text message or direct message in which a username and password of a supposed Exchange site (cryptocurrency exchange page) where it says there is a large sum of USDT or Tether, which is known as a stablecoin and whose value is equal to the US dollar in a 1:1 ratio.

MásQueSeguridad (MQS) warns through a statement that, in the message, a text is observed where the user is asked not to “share with anyone” said information. Thus, trying to get the person to enter the website, with the data provided. By doing so, the victim arrives at a false page in which there is a balance with a high sum of USDT. This is a well-known method of social engineering that seeks to gain the attention and enthusiasm of the victim.

Now, if the victims want to transfer said fake balance to their cryptocurrency wallet, the website created by the cybercriminals will request their access credentials, taking control of their account and allowing the attackers to keep their funds.

This deception was observed circulating with different domain names, but g structurally it is the same. Among the domains detected by the MásQueSeguridad team, usdtbonim.com, usdtcoindc.com, usdtethon.com, usdtlonim.com are mentioned, which have a creation date between April 20 and 24, 2022, which is an indication alert.

Similarly, the messages are sent from numbers of national operators in countries such as Colombia and Venezuela, which have already been duly reported as spam on various verification platforms, adds MQD in its preventive document.

That is why MáQueSeguridad recommends verifying through search engines, such as Google or databases like es.trustpilot.com, the reliability of any website that could be doubtful. In the same way, to check unknown telephone numbers on sites such as www.truecaller.com, www.listaspam.com, www.spamcalls.net, among others. Additionally, sharing this information on social networks, with friends and family, for preventive purposes, to limit the efficiency of such attacks.

With information from MásQueSeguridad

La entrada MQS: New scam to steal crypto wallet credentials is circulating on Internet apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The situational strategic analysis table made up of the different area managers of the MásQuéDigital (MQD) y MásQueSeguridad (MQS) organizations – meeting in Caracas – insisted on its warning to take extreme measures to prevent and protect computer and digital security, as well as how to make the consequent investments, facing the current year 2022.

It was recalled that according to the studies of eXtreme Cybersecurity Lab, for this new year the threats will be re-evolutionary. In other words, criminals will optimize their practices and move to a new level of refinement and effectiveness in misdeeds. But the scenario of very likely cyberwars is also present, and makes this forecast, along with other threats of various kinds, into something much more complex, explained Rafael Núñez and Lino Simoes, CEO and general manager of MQD and MQS.

“Both companies and individuals must take into account that cybercriminals and other interested parties are attacking in order to obtain key information, money, as well as to affect or paralyze the operations of the attacked.”

On the other hand, but in the same context, Aribel Contreras, coordinator of the global business degree at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, considers that 2022 will be an extremely complex year, because the crisis in supply chains, containers, energy will continue. , and cryptocurrencies, among others.

Adding the risks related to climate change, which has been evaluated from different angles, “we are seeing more volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, among other phenomena,” he said.

He assured that cyber warfare is the new strategic weapon that several countries are using, currently it can be seen in the case of the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.

Contreras points out that this year the famine in the world will worsen. He also said that the pharmaceutical industry will take and consolidate an even more important role than what we have seen.

Orientation of economic interests in 2022

The economic interests will be directed to the energy sectors, that is to say, the increase in oil, coal and natural gas seems to be the protagonists.

Another latent interest is rare earth containing minerals and other important chemical elements.

“With the extracted raw material, batteries, components for cell phones and electric cars, among many other goods, can be made.”

Those rare earths are mainly found in China, although they also exist in other countries.

“Thus we see that the re-evolution of cybercrime is presented within a perspective where for different reasons prudence and precaution recommend as necessary greater investments in security, mainly computer and digital, to be able to effectively exercise better prevention and defense,” Rafael Núñez pointed out.

With information from MásQueDigital, news agencies and Unión Radio

La entrada MásQueSeguridad: Cyberwar and natural phenomena are threats this 2022 apareció primero en Bitfinance.

On January 18 ITNEWSLAT will hold a virtual event, called “How to prepare a cyberattack“, which will be attended by the director of MasQueDigital, Rafael Núñez, to provide information about cyberattacks, an increasingly common situation in the technological world and that many do not know how to operate. This for absolutely preventive purposes.

Knowing what a cyber attack is is not always enough to prevent it. Hackers seem to be one step ahead, so companies are forced to take every measure at their disposal to protect themselves.

Knowing how cybercriminals act is essential to be effective in computer defense and security strategies

If the necessary precautions are not taken, attackers will be on the lookout to try to steal important data such as valuable information and in many cases disrupt business.

Most cyberattacks can be prevented or detected with basic security practices. Being diligent about cybersecurity in the workplace and at home can make a world of difference.

That is why ITNEWSLAT invites the community to attend this completely free event on January 18, through the Zoom platform, at 8:00 in the morning (Miami, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia) / 9:00 in the morning (Venezuela) / 10:00 in the morning (Chile, Argentina).

“How to prepare a cyberattack” will be directed by Edgar Rincón and will have Rafael Núñez as a special guest.

Núñez is a businessman, an expert in the area as well as a lecturer and benchmark in Information Security, recognized nationally and internationally for his work in Ethical Hacking. He is also director of the companies MásQueDigital and MásQueSeguridad; founder of the security web portal EnfoqueSeguro.com; director of the Investigative Unit Against Pedophilia (CPIU), and representative in Venezuela of the German company Veridos for High Identity Security, director of Fundasitio.org, and president of the news sites elsumario.com – doblellave.com & bitfinance.news.

People who wish to participate can register through the following link:

With information from ITNEWSLAT

La entrada ITNEWSLAT and Rafael Núñez present: “How to prepare a cyber attack” apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Cybercrime re-evolution is a concrete threat by 2022

The costliest cyberattacks in history have taken place over the past two years, with record amounts of stolen credit cards, high-tech crimes suitable for stopping companies and unsettling nations.

In addition, novice cybercriminals can with small resources and knowledge scam and extort anyone, who end up being daily victims and numbering in the millions.

According to eXtreme Cybersecurity Lab studies, for this new year the threats will be re-evolutionary. In other words, criminals will optimize their existing practices that will take them to a new level of perfectionism and effectiveness in wrongdoing.

This was indicated by the engineer Lino Simoes, general manager of MásQueSeguridad, during a year-end luncheon that brought together all the managers of that organization. Simoes made reference to publications in this regard made by Catalina Cepparro from SUR Comunicación – Argentina.

MásQueSeguridad agrees and reinforces that digital protection comes first

The MásQueSeguridad (MQS) team coincided with these affirmations and theses, the renowned firm based in Caracas and international projection, led by the IT specialist Rafael Núñez, its CEO, who offers organic solutions to companies providing security and technological shielding of the digital operations.

Groups that operate at a transnational level will continue to expand to develop criminal operations. These will place their focus on the adoption of new technologies and Artificial Intelligence to improve their social engineering techniques at the service of crime.

This outlines the need today more than ever to have preventive and crisis care plans, such as those offered in Venezuela by the qualified team of MásQueSeguridad.

It should be noted that the new criminal modalities will affect the way in which business managers and governments must assess risks, as they will be exploited by cybercriminals to raise fear in users.

Attacks on mission critical infrastructures will continue to increase during 2022, which is why it is essential to protect intangible assets from the action and reach of digital criminals.

Rafael Núñez Aponte, citing the report published by Catalina Cepparro and SUR Comunicación, as well as the eXtreme Cybersecurity Lab studies, specified as a summary:

While ransomware infection rates are declining, more and more companies are paying the ransom. More than half of organizations affected by ransomware pay to unlock their data, further fueling criminal activity.

• Phishing attacks hit their highest level in 3 years.
• 70% of online fraud was carried out through mobile platforms.
• On average, 82 malicious applications are identified each day, downloaded from official and unofficial stores. The main categories of fraudulent applications are Games 21% and Entertainment and Lifestyle 17%.
• Cybercriminals’ tactics often take advantage of available information, 63% of intrusions occur as a result of compromised usernames and passwords.
• 88% of organizations recognize that insider threats are a cause for concern, although it is observed that the damage caused by people within the organization can be unintentional.
• The percentage of organizations that were victims of ransomware and that paid ransoms increased from 45% to 57.5% in 2021 and there are estimates that this number will continue to rise in 2022.

With information from MásQueSeguridad – Caracas

And Catalina Cepparro / SUR Communication – Argentina

La entrada MásQueSeguridad validates that cybercrime re-evolution will manifest itself in 2022 apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Fake news or false news can generate a dangerous circle of misinformation. At present, in a matter of seconds, these can be replicated in various digital sites, affecting the right that all citizens have to receive truthful, fair and balanced information.

The emergence of social platforms – in many cases – has contributed significantly to the dissemination of misleading news. “In principle, because by moving to a form of networking communication, unlike broadcasting, the exchange of messages on the network, allows users to be, in addition to consumers, also producers of speeches that circulate and that are often false” in addition to exaggerated.

This is outlined in general terms by the report entitled What are Fake News ?, directed not only to journalists, but also to society in general, in order to make them aware of and stop this disinformation spiral that, without a doubt, has had important repercussions in the political, social and cultural spheres.

The Report also highlights that, according to the First Draft organization (dedicated to improving online coverage skills and standards), there are 7 types of false information:

• Satire or parody
• Misleading content
• Imposter content
• Manufactured content
• False connection
• False context
• Manipulated content

The irreversible deterioration of the health of the defamed person can be one of the serious consequences of a false news

In Venezuela there have been numerous cases that have been presented in recent years, one of the most recent – and which had a great dissemination in the media – was that of the Venezuelan presenter Dave Capella, who before dying from complications associated with the Covid-19, was accused of using his condition as a scam. Among the personalities that echoed these comments, Jean Mary Curró and Alex Goncalves stand out. Many of his followers on social networks deplored the fact, so the two apologized formally to the memory of Dave and his relatives.

Balance and equity

Rafael Núñez, CEO of MásQueDigital and MásQueSeguridad, is convinced that every action generates a reaction. “This type of conduct causes them to lose credibility over time, and if it is public media, they receive criminal complaints”, as in fact happened in the case of the Venezuelan presenters.

Rafael emphasizes that the media must be very careful with the information they disclose, verify whether it is a true story or a manipulation, and bear in mind that this can cost them and the journalist their image. “We are in such a distorted society, it seems that nothing matters and it really does matter, it matters a lot, because every time we should be a better society, with constructive news that really generates value” in addition to naturally being truthful or true.

He recommends being weighted and seeking balance “because there are people who read the news before going to sleep and, according to what they take to the subconscious, somatize all that.” However, it recognizes that there are not very encouraging events that should be published or revealed, in this case it suggests, not to misrepresent or demonize the facts. “If you have to say something that is happening, negative of course, it should be said but without yellowish nuances, without demonizing. That is what worries, because that is how everything seems to be, and that is a half truth; It can even be a lie depending on what you mean. You have to change that.”

Ethics and responsibility

Ethics and responsibility are values ​​that must be present in the exercise of every profession. Why then do we see these practices in some communication mechanisms? Rafael assures that there are many reasons that move and go from unfair competition to financial ones. He adds that there are bloggers who are not professional journalists and are dedicated to extorting money. They take on the role of investigator to gain political or social attention and then ask for money in exchange for deleting the defamatory content. “There is a person in Panama who was dedicated to that, now he had to migrate, precisely because of so many complaints he had.”

These kinds of articles and publications produce serious effects, which of course include the reputational sphere. “Companies can lose customers. In recent years, we have seen everything, it is super delicate, and there are damages that can be almost irreversible. Reputation can take 20 years to create, but 5 minutes to destroy.”

Finally, Rafael Núñez, who directs MásQueDigital and MásQueSeguridad, advises all those who have been violated or affected by false accusations on the Internet, go to experts to seek guidance. “We at MásQueDigital are experts in reputation management and damage control. We can study the case, and since we have strategic alliances with specialized lawyers against computer crimes and defamation, we can provide all the necessary, comprehensive and convenient advice to properly attend your case, find solutions and find the best way to mitigate the risk, that’s the best, go to the specialist.”

Source: DOBLELLAVE

La entrada Rafael Núñez: “Reputation can take 20 years to be created, but 5 minutes to be destroyed” apareció primero en Bitfinance.