Colombia announced on Monday that it was thinking about taking legal action against a US company that offers web hosting services and was recently the target of a cyberattack that brought down hundreds of official websites.
Bogota charged IFX Networks with negligence in the attack that hit at least 32 important websites, including those of the ministries of justice, health, and culture, as well as a number of hospitals and the stock market authority.
According to media accounts, other Latin American nations were also impacted.
Minister of Information and Telecommunications Mauricio Lizcano declared on Monday that IFX should be held accountable for “failures in security protocols” and that the corporation was refusing to provide information when contacted.
The minister declared on X, formerly Twitter, that the government was investigating into “a civil lawsuit and possibly criminal action” against the business.
In his interview with Caracol Radio, he also charged negligence on the part of the business.
“When a government or private entity gives a company its data, it is its greatest treasure. And the company must take every precaution… so that this information is not lost,” said Lizcano.
President Gustavo Petro referred to the incident from United Nations headquarters in New York and told reporters IFX Networks “did not have cybersecurity measures” in place.
Ransomware attacks, like the one that hit websites in Colombia, usually gain access to weak computer systems, encrypt or steal data, and then demand money in exchange for decrypting the material or withholding it from being made public.
In a statement, IFX expressed regret for the attack, which also hit a media outlet in Panama and a government facility in Chile, and claimed that its personnel had been able to “limit” the damage.
