January - There is no turning back. In a world of technological advances, and amid a global context of increasing exposure to digital threats and accelerated IT transformation, cybersecurity emerges as an urgent necessity to position the nation from a sovereign perspective and as a unique ecosystem, built for the benefit of all, based on sovereign integration into the internet.
Cybersecurity in Cuba is outlined as a strategic pillar of national sovereignty and digital transformation, where scientific development, technological education, and institutional cooperation converge as guarantors of independence, aiming to prioritize and promote risk perception, responsibility in the use of cyberspace, and the application of advanced tools, techniques, and policies for protection.
In this country, many actions are directed at strengthening a culture of cybersecurity at all levels. In an increasingly digitized world, raising awareness in this regard is declared a priority for national defense. Even under conditions of a war economy, cybersecurity must be integrated into infrastructure modernization plans and projects for networks and the internet.
This strategy encompasses the protection of critical infrastructures, incident management, the use of artificial intelligence, monitoring of the radio spectrum, and the development of national services and applications (toDus, Picta, Apklis, Transfermóvil, EcuRed).
In summary, in 2025, cybersecurity in Cuba is consolidated as a state priority linked to digital transformation, national defense, and technological sovereignty, with emphasis on education and a culture of responsible use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
As experts state, the evolution of this high-tech sphere is an example of how innovation, academic training, and institutional collaboration intertwine to protect the country's digital heritage.
FOR COMPUTERIZATION WITH EVERYONE AND FOR THE GOOD OF ALL
The advances in the computerization program of Cuban society in recent years, the access to the internet, and the ongoing digital transformation have fostered an increase in the use of digital technologies nationwide. There is an emphasis on social participation and the need to strengthen a culture of prevention in the digital environment.
In 2025, several Cybersecurity Conferences were held, featuring technical workshops, cyberattack response drills, and campaigns to raise risk awareness and promote best practices among the population. These actions focus primarily on youth and the educational system, from which a responsible digital culture can be promoted, from primary education to university.
Cuba adopts policies for institutional and educational strengthening, led by the National Cybersecurity Working Group, active since 2021, which coordinates the defense of critical infrastructures, vulnerability detection, development of national applications, and specialized human capital training through various processes.
This approach enables systematic monitoring of the management of cyberattacks and registered incidents, vulnerabilities present in networks and among users who receive services, strengthening the country's critical and vital infrastructures, development of technologies, tools, and national content, training of higher and intermediate-level specialists in universities, enabling entities to provide cybersecurity services, and ensuring technological security of automation and operational technologies.
Regarding the institutional and legal framework, the Ministry of Communications leads the cybersecurity policy in coordination with the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), within the country's computerization program.
Concerning regulatory matters, it relies on standards such as Decree-Law 370 on computerization, Decree 360 on ICT security, and the Personal Data Protection Law, which coordinate the control of cyberspace and the protection of citizens’ data.
Cybersecurity also involves safeguarding our sovereignty and protecting the economy, making it urgent to raise awareness among citizens, organizations, and institutions about digital risks, strengthen collaboration links between government, businesses, and academia, promote best protection practices in the digital transformation environment, and generate opportunities for the development of the national sector.
Thus, participation from key actors in cybersecurity is ensured, integrating the efforts and contributions of academia, government, and society in general.
The importance of cybersecurity in all social and economic spheres is illustrated by educational responses; for example, the University of Computer Sciences (UCI) initially implemented a Higher Technician program in Network Administration, and ultimately approved the Cybersecurity Engineering degree in 2021, supported by a faculty with extensive practical experience and its own research lines. This program has also begun to be offered at the University of Camagüey, responding to national demand.
Besides incorporating this specialty into other higher education centers and organizing short courses for technical personnel and managers, it is important to improve education, training, preparation, and capacity-building programs in Cybersecurity at all educational levels, from primary schools to universities.
Cuba promotes cooperation in this area with several countries such as Russia, China, and Vietnam, and organizes international events like the Cybersecurity Symposium within the framework of the 2026 Computing Convention, where topics such as cryptography, 5G, protection of critical infrastructures, and Artificial Intelligence, among others, are expected to be exchanged.
FOR THE NEW YEAR
Looking ahead to 2026, the country aims to consolidate its technological sovereignty through the integration of artificial intelligence in cyberspace defense, the modernization of digital infrastructure, widespread training, and the updating of the legal framework.
There are many challenges for cybersecurity today, including increased internet access, electronic commerce and payments, and industrial automation, all of which expand the attack surface and demand better capabilities in detection, response, and resilience.
Key challenges include the growing sophistication of threats, the need for greater specialization among experts, and the constant updating of technical standards as well as the adoption of modern approaches such as Zero Trust models and Artificial Intelligence applied to defense.
In the projections for the year, human resources in the sector will be a priority, aiming for more efficient use based on structures adapted to the country’s current realities. Progress will be made through concrete actions in education, training, and communication to raise risk awareness among executives, specialists, and the general population regarding the safe and responsible use of internet applications and platforms.
Also on the 2026 agenda will be the development of Cuban applications to foster greater technological sovereignty and enable the country to face cyberattacks in various forms, the updating of legal provisions on this subject, strengthening ties with prioritized countries, and the creation of national content.
The modernization and expansion of the technological infrastructure that supports the country’s digital transformation process is vital to this goal, as is the application of Artificial Intelligence tools in cyberspace protection and technologies to enhance the control and monitoring of the national radioelectrical spectrum.
BRIEF HISTORICAL REVIEW
It is necessary, then, to refer to recent Cuban technological history, marked by the creation of the Joven Club de Computación (Youth Computer Clubs), the University of Informatics Sciences, and the defense of the radioelectric spectrum against external aggressions, along with the clear vision of the Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro, regarding independence in this field as a pillar of national sovereignty, which strengthens the political tradition of defending cyberspace.
When the United States Government undertook, starting in 1959, several operations to send radio and television signals to Cuba with subversive content, Fidel led the implementation of a broad system of organizational, regulatory, technical, educational, political, communicative, and diplomatic measures aimed at ensuring the protection of the Cuban radioelectric spectrum, which resulted in a resounding defeat of U.S. imperialism in the technological realm.
The leader of the Cuban Revolution was the great architect of introducing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) resources to serve the education and culture of the people—an idea implicit in his concept of development, independence, and sovereignty.
Cuba’s incorporation into cyberspace demonstrates that the protection of this virtual territory is built with a comprehensive strategy where business needs drive innovation, academia develops talent, and collective awareness stands as the first and most crucial line of defense, several experts affirm.
Thus, the country projected the use of television for educational purposes as early as 1961, promoted the introduction of computers at various levels of education, denounced espionage programs and telecommunications blockades, among other actions.
In the current scenario, international statistics are very revealing regarding the magnitude of the challenge: 500,000 cyberattacks per minute, 90% of them related to human errors, indicating the urgency of instilling good practices among those involved.
They also point out that 60% of companies leading in fraud prevention detect security breaches only after having suffered financial losses; threat monitoring has detected malicious domains linked to data theft, and a growing deficit of specialists persists.
It is also recognized that the emergence of artificial intelligence adds new complexities to the phenomenon by facilitating phishing techniques, information manipulation, and cyberespionage.
Taken from the Cuban News Agency (ACN)
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