Colombia Advances in Power Cybersecurity

Colombia ranks with Brazil and Chile among the Latin American countries with the most developed sector-specific regulatory frameworks for electric utility cybersecurity. ADELAT research cited by pv magazine Latam says the country has Council of Operation agreements 1960 and 2088, along with a dedicated CSIRT for the power sector.

What do regional studies show about the power grid?

ADELAT’s survey, according to Shale24, reviewed 25 utilities in 10 countries and found that 46% do not monitor their operational network. The same report adds that none of the regulatory frameworks examined explicitly and independently recognizes cybersecurity as a tariff category.

That leaves a gap between the regulatory progress some countries have made and the way these functions are funded or recognized within regulation. In Colombia’s case, the presence of sector agreements and its own CSIRT places it among the most structured frameworks identified in the study.

What risks are mentioned for critical systems?

Forbes Colombia reported that a specialist warned that the link between IT systems and operational technologies can broaden the impact of an intrusion in factories, power grids, pipelines, water treatment plants, and other essential facilities. The publication framed those scenarios as potential risks, not confirmed incidents in Colombia.

The warning fits the kind of assets exposed when corporate and operational environments coexist. Computer Weekly en Español, for its part, describes Decree 338 of 2022 as part of Colombia’s framework for managing cyber risk, information security, and the protection of cyber critical infrastructure, including essential services such as power and water.

Taken together, the sources reviewed show that Colombia has regulatory and operational pieces that are more advanced than much of the region, but supervision and grid protection remain open challenges across Latin America.