The Joint Cyber Command takes part in Hackron 2026, the largest cybersecurity conference in the Canary Islands

The Command’s Deputy Commander, Major General Federico Juste, gave a presentation entitled ‘Cyber threats, future trends’

Major General Federico Juste de Santa Ana, Deputy Commander of the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE) and Chief of Staff, took part via videoconference in Hackron 2026, the leading cybersecurity event in the Canary Islands. His presentation, entitled ‘Cyber Threats, Future Trends’, offered a strategic overview of the current cybersecurity landscape in Spain and the global challenges that will shape defence in the digital environment.

The general began by highlighting the MCCE’s primary mission: to guarantee the Armed Forces’ freedom of action in cyberspace and prevent the adversary from exploiting it to their advantage. To provide context, he analysed Spain’s situation with a critical eye regarding certain media headlines.

He highlighted that, although Spain leads in the use of social media and digital platforms, this increases its exposure and the risk of cyberattacks. This is largely due to the country’s excellent detection and reporting capabilities; by investing more in cybersecurity, attacks are identified that go unnoticed in other countries.

Juste highlighted four current situations that are ceasing to be isolated incidents and becoming the norm. Firstly, he discussed how cyber operations have shifted from the digital to the physical realm, having tangible effects in the real world. There have been attempts to sabotage critical infrastructure, such as a dam in Norway or the power grid in Poland.

Secondly, the use of offensive AI, as a shift in the attacker’s profile is evident. Thanks to AI, people with little technical knowledge can carry out complex and sophisticated attacks that were previously only within the reach of expert hackers.

Thirdly, synchronised hybrid warfare, regarding which the Deputy Commander of the MCCE also pointed out that cyberspace is now a central domain in geopolitical conflicts, used both to destabilise governments and to complement military actions in conventional wars.

Finally, the crisis of confidence in the supply chain, given that, as the defences of large corporations improve, attackers are now targeting smaller suppliers (SMEs) to infiltrate critical systems, as occurred with the check-in software at European airports or Cisco routers.

The Major General also highlighted four future trends: the digital arms race towards active defence, AI as the new strategic domain (whoever dominates AI will dominate the geopolitical landscape), the need to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure, and the pursuit of greater digital sovereignty.

Hackron is one of the leading cybersecurity conferences in the Canary Islands. The event brought together hackers, researchers, technology companies, public administrations and industry professionals to discuss digital threats, cybersecurity intelligence, AI, malware and red team techniques. In addition to technical presentations, such as that given by Major General Juste, the event featured live cyberattack simulations, practical challenges and networking opportunities, with the aim of fostering talent and innovation in cybersecurity, thereby consolidating the Canary Islands as a national leader in this field.