Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Guatemala

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala (Minex) functions as the principal government body charged with executing the nation's foreign policy and managing its international relations. Its core responsibilities encompass diplomatic engagement, treaty negotiation, and the representation of Guatemala in multilateral organizations and bilateral contexts. A significant aspect of its public-facing mission involves the provision of consular services to Guatemalan citizens abroad, including the processing of passports, management of appointment systems, and assistance in cases involving detention or other emergencies. To facilitate these services and communicate with the public, the ministry maintains an online presence through its primary domain and a network of approximately 49 associated websites and subdomains, which support digital service platforms and informational resources. This digital infrastructure is integral to its operational reach, serving both domestic users and a global diaspora, though the precise scale of its physical diplomatic network is not detailed in available records.

The ministry's operations were severely disrupted in September 2022 by two concurrent cyber incidents that exposed critical vulnerabilities. On September 19, the Onix group executed a ransomware attack that encrypted and corrupted files across the ministry's web ecosystem, rendering larger files irrecoverable even after a ransom payment and demonstrating destructive tactics beyond typical encryption. Simultaneously, the VSOP threat group breached the same systems, exfiltrating and subsequently leaking sensitive consular documents, including years of appointment records, passport data, and detainee reports. The technical damage forced a multi-day suspension of all digital consular services, during which the ministry performed system maintenance and equipment replacements. Initially, the organization publicly attributed the outage to unspecified server failures without acknowledging the cyberattacks, though external analysis and leaked data samples confirmed the breaches. These events highlighted the ministry's heavy reliance on its compromised digital platforms and the severe operational and reputational risks posed by inadequate cybersecurity protections for sensitive government data. The incidents remain a defining challenge in its recent history, underscoring the tension between expanding digital service accessibility and safeguarding that infrastructure against advanced threats.