Paraguay has elements to attribute threats to China, says cybersecurity official

Paraguay possesses sufficient evidence to link China to cybersecurity threats targeting its state systems, stated Pedro Martínez, director general of cybersecurity at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (Mitic). Martínez indicated that ongoing monitoring and studies have led to the conclusion that these threats correspond to activities characteristic of groups operating on behalf of the Chinese government.

His remarks came after the United States and Paraguay jointly denounced the infiltration of "multiple threat actors" connected to China into the South American nation's state cyber systems. Martínez, however, declined to present specific evidence, citing security concerns. He explained that the threats were identified after a period of monitoring and analysis.

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There are elements that allow us to point towards China.

The cyber intrusions were detected during a recent joint cybersecurity review, part of a cooperative effort between the U.S. and Paraguay to bolster the nation's critical digital infrastructure. This incident echoes a similar event in late September 2024, when Washington and Asunción identified the China-based cyberespionage network Flax Typhoon infiltrating Paraguayan government systems. At that time, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña linked the incident to the diplomatic relations between Paraguay and Taiwan.

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threats correspond to activities that align with what groups operating for the Chinese government usually do.