Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced a pilot program with the United States Department of War’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to identify and correct cyber vulnerabilities in Puerto Rico’s critical infrastructure, including energy, water, health and public safety systems. The All Infrastructure Cyber Defense (AIxCD) program will proceed under a memorandum of understanding signed by Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS) executive director Poincaré Díaz Peña and Patrick Lincoln, director of DARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office, during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
The initiative will develop tools to detect vulnerabilities and generate automated solutions to fix them before they are exploited, plus digital twins: virtual environments where solutions can be tested and personnel trained without touching the systems running essential services. Facilities that could participate include the Medical Services Administration (ASEM), the Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center, the UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; AEE in Spanish), the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA), systems operated by LUMA Energy and Genera PR, and the Public Safety Department’s communications networks.
A Cyber Excellence Center is planned at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez campus. Each entity will join through cooperative research and development agreements with DARPA, keeping control of its data and authority over whether to apply security patches. Energy czar Josué Colón said PREPA remains responsible for critical electrical infrastructure and 20 of Puerto Rico’s 37 reservoirs.
Health Secretary Víctor Ramos highlighted protecting patient data; AAA president Luis González and Public Safety Secretary Arturo Garffer also endorsed the program. PRITS will draft a long-term cybersecurity strategy and manage the transition of technologies into operating systems.