All over the world cyber crime is a real and growing threat. Ransomware, for example, is wreaking havoc on a global scale – hitting companies, hospitals, military operations and airlines, as well as critical infrastructure including seaports and airports, and energy systems and water supplies.
According to figures quoted in the Financial Times, cyber crime is forecast to cost approaching $10 trillion globally in 2024, while a recent poll of IT and security leaders revealed that 91% said their business had suffered a significant cyber attack during the year.
Cybersecurity risks facing the mining industry
Like all companies, Anglo American faces the risk of loss or harm to our technical infrastructure and data, owing to the increasing sophistication and capabilities of cybercriminals. But the challenges go further, as we operate in a variety of jurisdictions, with differing cybersecurity regulations and standards – which makes aligning and interconnecting cybersecurity systems complicated, and costly to manage.
Playing our part in establishing Chile’s Cybersecurity Corporation for the Mining Industry (CCMIN)
Over the years, growing cybersecurity risks led Anglo American’s cybersecurity team to conclude that a more co-ordinated, industry-based approach was needed, where we share intelligence and cyber risk learnings with our mining industry peers.
So, when Fernando Lucchini, executive director of Alta Ley, a public-private institution serving Chile’s mining industry, came up with the idea of getting the country’s main mining actors together in the face of the growing cyber crime threat, we were keen to co-operate.
We then gave Nelson Castro, our business information security manager in Chile, the task of establishing relationships with the country’s leading mining companies to form a framework for cyber-proofing the industry.
Nelson comments: “We got all the major mining players, plus Alta Ley, around the table and over a period of about 18 months all the participants reached agreement on a common vision and an appropriate legal framework. Most importantly, through this regular interaction, we managed to create trust and establish a sound working relationship between the members’ cybersecurity teams.”
This led to the launch in December 2023 of Chile’s CCMIN, incorporating prominent industry names like Anglo American, Antofagasta Minerals, BHP, Codelco, Collahuasi and Teck, as well as Alta Ley.
The initiative provides opportunities for participating organisations to collectively strengthen cybersecurity measures, through the sharing of threat intelligence, identification of best practices and the coordinated management of cybersecurity incidents.
It is proving to be a positive step as a framework for collaborative cybersecurity efforts, and in ensuring that technology remains an enabler for the industry.
