Latin America has consolidated itself as one of the most affected regions by cybercrime, facing an average of 1.9 million threats daily, according to the recent Kaspersky Threat Landscape. Between August 2024 and June 2025, the cybersecurity company blocked a total of 726 million attack attempts in the region. This volume of malicious activity reinforces the area's position as an epicenter of malware attacks, with the industrial and government sectors being the main targets for scammers. The Impact in Central America and the Caribbean The specific data for Central America and the Caribbean is revealing, with several countries registering thousands of attacks daily. Panama led the subregion's list with 4.7 million blocked attack attempts, equivalent to 12,000 threats per day. The list of blocked attacks in the last twelve months in the region is as follows: • Panama: 4.7 million, representing 12,000 daily threats. • Guatemala: 4.1 million, with 11,400 daily attacks. • Costa Rica: 3.9 million, recording 10,000 per day. • Dominican Republic: 3.7 million, with an average of 10,000 per day. • El Salvador: 1.6 million, equivalent to 4,500 daily threats. Adware and Trojans, the Predominant Threats The most common threats that Kaspersky has detected in the region are adware and trojans, with special emphasis on banking trojans. Adware is a type of program that insists on displaying unwanted advertising and often serves as an entry point for more dangerous frauds. Trojans, for their part, are malicious programs that disguise themselves as legitimate software with the purpose of stealing victims' personal and financial information. Fabio Assolini, director of Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team for Latin America, commented that the volume of attacks with adware and trojans demonstrates that threats are becoming more aggressive, seeking not only the theft of money but also the disruption of essential services, which is reflected in the attacks directed at the industry and government. The Most Attacked Sectors Kaspersky's analysis indicates that the government sector is the most attacked in Latin America, concentrating 41.88% of incidents. Other affected sectors include: • Other sectors: 19.30%. • Process industry: 12.08%. • Discrete industry: 6.79%. • Retail: 4.47%. While the industrial sector is the main target in countries like Brazil and Mexico, in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, the government sector concentrates the bulk of the attacks. Security Recommendations to Mitigate Risk To protect against malware attacks, Kaspersky recommends a series of essential measures: • Be wary of links and attachments: Always verify the authenticity of the sender before clicking or downloading files, especially if they come from unexpected emails or messages. • Keep systems updated: Security updates are crucial, as they fix flaws that criminals can exploit to install malware. • Use strong and different passwords: It is essential to avoid repeating the same password on different services or accounts. • Install a reliable security solution: Specialized tools can detect and block advanced threats in real time. • Stay constantly informed: Keeping up to date with the latest threats and best online security practices is essential for both individual users and company employees.
