Guacamaya Leaks

Beginning in September 2022, the Guacamaya collective launched an unprecedented wave of breaches targeting military, police, and government institutions across Latin America. Initial breaches targeted the Mexican Ministry of Defense (SEDENA), leaking 10 terabytes of data including emails revealing surveillance of journalists and activists. Subsequent operations targeted the Chilean Army, Colombian Ministry of Defense, Peruvian military, and multiple Central American governments. Notable leaks include the Chilean 'Hurricane' case documenting military spying on Indigenous Mapuche communities, and the 'Mina Perdida' leak exposing mining company collusion with government officials.

Guacamaya emerged as a prominent hacktivist voice in Latin America, specifically focused on exposing military corruption, environmental crimes by mining corporations, and government surveillance of civilian populations across the region.

The collective gained initial access through compromised credentials and exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in government email servers. Data was exfiltrated over extended periods before public disclosure.

Guacamaya is a decentralized hacktivist collective operating across Latin America, focused on exposing government secrecy, military corruption, and environmental crimes through targeted data breaches and coordinated public disclosures.

Aliases

• Guacamaya Hacktivist Collective

Attribution sources

• Guacamaya leak site

Additional victims

• Mining corporations
• Police forces

Countries affected

• Mexico
• Chile
• Colombia
• Peru
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Paraguay

Data types

• Government Emails
• Intelligence Reports
• Military Communications
• Corporate Communications

Notable documents

• SEDENA email archive
• Chilean Army Hurricane files
• Peruvian military intelligence documents

Public reaction

Significant political fallout across Latin America; millions of citizens gained unprecedented access to internal government operations.

Political impact

Triggered political crises in multiple countries; investigations launched into military surveillance and corruption.

Geopolitical consequences

Strained diplomatic relations between affected countries over cross-border espionage revelations.

Ongoing investigations in multiple jurisdictions.

Policy changes

• Some countries initiated transparency reforms and independent investigations.

Significance

The largest coordinated hacktivist operation ever conducted in Latin America, targeting 9 countries and exposing government opacity across an entire region.

Legacy

Demonstrated the power of regional hacktivist collaboration in exposing systemic corruption and surveillance across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.

Publishing organisations

• Guacamaya leak site
• Distintos Latitudes
• Forbidden Stories

Ongoing; Guacamaya continues to leak documents periodically.

References

1. [1]Distintos Latitudes reporting
2. [2]Forbidden Stories - Guacamaya project
3. [3]Media coverage across Latin America