Policía de Seguridad Aeroportuaria

ThePolicía de Seguridad Aeroportuaria (PSA) is Argentina's airport security police, tasked with protecting civil aviation infrastructure and ensuring the safety of passengers, personnel, aircraft and cargo at the nation's airports. As a specialized law‑enforcement unit, its core mission involves preventing and responding to threats such as terrorism, smuggling and unlawful interference within airport environments. The PSA operates under the authority of the national government and coordinates with airport operators, airlines and other security agencies to enforce aviation‑related regulations. Its duties include access control, passenger and baggage screening, patrols of terminals and airside areas, and the investigation of security incidents occurring on airport property. By focusing exclusively on aviation security, the PSA provides a dedicated service that complements the broader responsibilities of the country's general police forces.

The organization employs both sworn officers and civilian staff who receive salaries through a payroll system processed by Banco Nación, as evidenced by recent cyber incidents in which attackers exploited a vulnerability in that payroll processor to make fraudulent deductions. These incidents, occurring in late 2025, revealed that the PSA maintains a centralized payroll function supporting its workforce across multiple airport locations. While the exact number of employees or the geographic spread of its units is not disclosed in the available sources, the payroll breach indicates that the agency manages a sizable enough workforce to attract financially motivated cyber‑criminal activity. In response to the breaches, the PSA temporarily blocked certain online services and launched an internal cybersecurity awareness campaign aimed at improving staff vigilance against phishing and credential‑theft tactics. The repeated targeting of its payroll highlights the importance the PSA places on protecting personnel data, even as the motive and total financial impact of the attacks remain unspecified.