Numerous case studies over the last year illustrate the pressing nature of the aforementioned threats to ICS. A publicly operated national energy utility in one country experienced a spate of cyber attacks, although the national CSIRT was able to minimize damage caused by the breaches. Another government reported widespread attacks against financial institutions that formed the base of its special economic zone (SEZ). In this case, the attacks may have the potential to be especially damaging, considering that the SEZ accounts for a high percentage of the country’s economic output and much of its foreign direct investment (FDI). One country’s leading telecommunications service provider was also attacked, causing a brief but extensive disruption to cellular service. Unlike most attacks, the perpetrators of the latter incident were caught and convicted. These incidents highlight the dangers that well-coordinated attacks on critical infrastructures pose to public well-being and economic development. While attacks involving critical infrastructures have not yet caused catastrophic losses or physical damage in the Americas and the Caribbean, they do highlight the need for vigilance and improved resilience, as many critical systems in the region remain exposed. In 2012, 51 vendors in the ICS security community reported 171 vulnerabilities in various Internet-facing ICS, and the problem in the Americas is especially acute. Looking at the two most popular types of ICS used in the region, Trend Micro found that many of these devices were connected to the Internet. Number of Internet-Facing SCADA and VxWorks Devices in the Americas and the Caribbean 1,000 932 800 694 600 517 400 228 200 1 7 2 0 125 58 57 41 0 0 0 09 0 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 7 010 0 67 019 0 0 0 Me xi Arg co en t Co ina lom bia Pe ru Ve ne zue la Ch ile Ec ua d or Gu ate ma la Cu Do b a min ica Bolo nR via ep ub lic Ha it Ho nd i ura s Pa rag ua El y Sa lva do Nic ara r gu a Co sta R Pu ica ert oR ico Pa na ma Uru gu ay 0 128 Number of SCADA devices Number of VxWorks devices Source: http://www.shodanhq.com/ PAGE 5 | Latin American and Caribbean Cybersecurity Trends and Government Responses