Cybersecurity at Mind The Sec 2024: Gabriel Bergel warns of risks beyond technology

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In the packed auditorium of Mind The Sec 2024, Gabriel Bergel, one of the leading cybersecurity experts in Latin America, brought provocations and deep reflections on how digital security has ceased to be a merely technological issue and has begun to influence social, economic and even public health aspects.

Mind The Sec 2024

For Gabriel, cybersecurity goes far beyond a discussion about technology. The cambodia whatsapp number database and digital devices permeate every aspect of life — from work and education to leisure and personal relationships. This intersection with everyday life makes cybersecurity a public health issue, since excessive use of technology can also trigger compulsive diseases and other disorders.



The Cost of Corporate Security Failures
Mind The Sec 2024

On July 19, 2024, a software update took down the systems of 25% of the world's largest companies, canceling thousands of flights and causing estimated losses of at least $5.4 billion. And the losses could be even greater, as millions of machines at smaller companies were also affected, bringing the losses to another $700 million.

Interestingly, the failure was not due to a sophisticated hacker attack, but to an error in the quality control process.

Gabriel shared another recent case, in which a criminal, using only a cell phone, WhatsApp and lies, convinced guards at a Chilean ministry to remove security locks from laptops and give access to the building to accomplices who took a safe and 23 laptops , including the minister's own computer.

These examples show how technological security must go beyond protecting systems against structured attacks and necessarily involve education and corporate attention to the topic.

Ethical Hackers: Cybersecurity Heroes
Gabriel argues that ethical hackers play an essential role as cybersecurity activists, which today translates into social security. Although they are often seen as troublemakers, these professionals force companies, governments and entities to fix important problems.


(image from the lecture)

One example is Barnaby Jack, who famously demonstrated how ATMs could be turned into slot machines in a 2010 presentation . Despite the negative impact, Jack helped change the regulation of medical devices. Similarly, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek forced Jeep to recall 1.4 million vehicles .

Gabriel also shared two cases he participated in in Chile: in one, the salaries of all Chilean workers were exposed due to a security flaw; in the other, a government application for reporting crimes, which was supposed to be anonymous, allowed criminals to find out the location of the person reporting the crime. By exposing these flaws, he allowed companies to correct them, avoiding various risks to citizens.

The Future of Cybersecurity: Education and Awareness
Gabriel believes that a citizen's view of cybersecurity is increasingly important. In his lectures, he invests part of his time in educating young people and raising public awareness about the importance of discussing the topic in family, professional and educational circles.



He ended the talk by inviting attendees to talk to their grandparents, parents, children and coworkers about cybersecurity and to include the topic in their companies and social circles. After all, if everyone acts in this way, each citizen will represent a barrier against cyber risks and not a vulnerability.