Fast Facts
- Latin America experienced a 78% increase in ransomware-related breaches and over 450 incidents in 2025, with Brazil being the most affected country.
- The region’s cyber threat landscape escalated sharply in 2025, driven by both financially motivated groups and state-sponsored actors, leading to an average of 2,640 weekly attacks per organization.
- Key threats include ransomware, extortion, hacktivism, financial fraud, and APT campaigns from China and North Korea, with China-linked groups increasing operational sophistication.
- Despite progress since 2020, gaps remain in regional cybersecurity maturity, with uneven national strategies and slow regulation hampering efforts to counteract rapid digitalization and organized cyber threats.
Underlying Problem
In 2025, Latin America experienced a significant surge in cyber threats, with over 450 ransomware incidents recorded—an increase of more than 78% from the previous year. This escalation occurred because cybercriminal groups, including state-linked actors from China and North Korea, as well as local gangs, intensified their operations. They targeted various sectors, especially consumer products, energy, and healthcare, and predominantly affected countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. These groups employed advanced tactics such as ransomware, phishing, and extortion, often using compromised login credentials and exploiting vulnerabilities in remote access portals. Additionally, hacktivist activities and espionage operations contributed to the growing threat landscape. Reporting organizations, notably Intel 471, highlighted that these threats are driven by rapid digital transformation and weaknesses in cybersecurity defenses, while organized fraud, data theft, and nation-state espionage pose ongoing risks for both local and global entities. As efforts to improve cybersecurity vary across nations, the region remains a critical hub for cybercrime and evolving adversary tactics, with future risks expected to persist barring significant policy and cooperation advancements.
Furthermore, the report stresses that the uneven adoption of cybersecurity measures and the proliferation of malicious activities are underlying factors fueling this escalation. Countries like Brazil and Chile have made more advances in their defenses, yet many others lag behind. Organized crime, access brokers, and hackers leveraging social engineering methods continue to exploit weaker infrastructure, leading to substantial financial losses—exceeding US $90 million annually. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions, such as the China–U.S. rivalry, have heightened the sophistication of state-sponsored cyber operations, involving espionage campaigns targeting military and government officials. Local threat actors, including Mexican and Argentine groups, are also active, often selling stolen data or malicious malware on underground forums. Overall, without enhanced international cooperation, stronger regulatory frameworks, and better security practices, Latin America is likely to remain a prominent zone of cybercriminal activity and future threats.
Risk Summary
As ransomware and hacktivist attacks rise sharply across Latin America in 2025, businesses everywhere face a growing threat that can strike unexpectedly. These cyber threats often come through sophisticated fraud schemes and phishing emails, which can easily deceive employees. Once inside, cybercriminals can lock down sensitive data or disrupt operations entirely, leading to severe financial losses. Moreover, reputation damage can follow, eroding customer trust. As attack methods evolve and become more frequent, your business’s vulnerability increases unless you strengthen security measures. Therefore, if you neglect proactive defenses, your operations and bottom line could face critical harm, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive cybersecurity strategies.
Possible Action Plan
In today’s interconnected digital landscape, prompt remediation is crucial to minimizing damage, restoring trust, and maintaining operational resilience when facing escalating cyber threats like ransomware and hacktivist attacks, especially in regions experiencing significant growth in fraud and phishing activities.
Assessment & Identification
- Conduct rapid incident detection using SIEM tools
- Establish clear protocols for identifying attack vectors
Containment
- Isolate affected systems immediately
- Disable compromised user accounts to prevent further intrusion
Eradication
- Remove malware and malicious links from impacted devices
- Patch vulnerabilities exploited during the attack
Recovery
- Restore data from secure backups verified as clean
- Monitor systems closely for any signs of recurring threats
Communication
- Notify internal stakeholders and relevant authorities swiftly
- Provide transparent updates to affected customers or partners
Prevention & Training
- Implement advanced email filtering and anti-malware solutions
- Conduct ongoing cybersecurity awareness training for staff
Policy & Governance
- Regularly review and update incident response plans
- Enforce security policies aligned with industry standards like NIST CSF
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Disclaimer: The information provided may not always be accurate or up to date. Please do your own research, as the cybersecurity landscape evolves rapidly. Intended for secondary references purposes only.
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