Brazil expands the Cyber Guardian exercise

Update October 28, 2026: Brazil's Ministry of Defense reported new figures for the exercise, with 169 organizations, about 750 participants and delegations from 20 countries. The latest coverage also detailed simulations involving water, energy and telecoms, and added the regional structure of two industrial hubs in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil carried out Cyber Guardian, a national cybersecurity exercise that brought together about 4,000 people from 380 institutions. Roughly 1,300 took part in person in Brasília and at regional centers in Belém, Curitiba, Manaus, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The activity included training tools and simulated environments provided by the IAEA to prepare teams to respond to attacks on information technology and operational technology networks.

What was trained in Cyber Guardian?

The IAEA and participating authorities used simulated scenarios to improve interagency coordination and the resilience of essential services. The exercise included risks tied to nuclear plants, small modular reactors, artificial intelligence applications, hospitals using radioactive sources and maritime nuclear applications. The cybersecurity coordinator at Brazil's nuclear authority described those cases as diverse and novel scenarios.

Why is this kind of simulation relevant for OT?

Because greater connectivity and industrial automation have expanded exposure to attacks on operational technology, according to Fernando Carbone, technical security lead at IBM Consulting Brazil. Carbone warned that an OT incident can disrupt production and affect critical infrastructure. In parallel, an IBM report cited by BNamericas said the most common initial causes of data breaches analyzed in Brazil were supply chain compromise and phishing, at 16% each.

What was the exercise's scope in Brazil?

Cyber Guardian is presented in the material as training based on simulated threats, not as a response to a real incident. The additional coverage reviewed found no evidence of real compromises or verified operational results at the participating institutions. That places the event's focus on joint preparation rather than confirmation of a specific attack or a finding of failures during the drill.

What did the Ministry of Defense report now?

Brazil's Ministry of Defense said the exercise brought together 169 organizations, about 750 participants and delegations from 20 countries. The activity included critical infrastructure protection scenarios in energy, transportation, water resources and communications, with a simulation of attacks against water, energy and telecom companies.

How was the 8.0 edition organized?

Brazilian coverage of Guardião Cibernético 8.0 described a regional structure with a hub dedicated to cyber defense for industry in São Paulo, organized by FIESP and SENAI-SP, and another hub in Rio de Janeiro created through an agreement between Firjan SENAI and the Army. That structure supported an edition designed to coordinate actors from different regions and sectors.

What stages did the simulation include?

The scenarios covered prevention, response, crisis management and recovery, with participation from public and private organizations, academic institutions and critical infrastructure operators. According to the latest coverage, the exercise aimed to test coordination among those actors in incidents affecting essential services.

Do the figures reported by other media match?

Not entirely. Two Brazilian outlets described the 2026 edition with roughly 1,300 participants, 300 organizations and representatives from 14 countries, but those figures do not match the data reported by the Ministry of Defense and should not be consolidated without an additional official source.