Puerto Rico's toll collection system down after cyberattack

Puerto Rico’s toll collection system, AutoExpreso, was crippled by a cyberattack over the weekend, authorities reported, cited by the The Associated Press.

AutoExpreso is run by the private operator Professional Account Management. It is unclear when the system will be back online or whether any sensitive data was  stolen by the hack. 

In 2021 alone, the island suffered more than 926 million cyberattack attempts, according to Fortinet, a cybersecurity company. 

"The increase in volume, sophistication, and effectiveness of cyber threats during 2021 has been remarkable," Arturo Torres, Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs cybersecurity strategist for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Some of the notable cyberattacks the island has gone through include the January 2022 hack that targeted the Puerto Rican Senate’s systems, as well as the island's phone systems and internet provider. In 2021, the company that oversees Puerto Rico’s electricity transmission and distribution was hacked.

In 2020, an online scam attempted to steal $4 million from the island’s government agencies, which resulted in the government freezing $2.9 million in assets. Similarly, hackers demanded $600,000 from the island’s fire department after its servers were hacked. 

Cyberattacks in Latin America and the Caribbean increased by almost 600% in 2021 compared to the previous year. According to the FortiGuard, Mexico was the region’s primary cyberattack target, followed by Brazil, Peru, and Colombia.