GOVERNMENT organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean are under rising pressure from cyber threats, with attacks on core agencies outpacing global norms. In March, the region averaged about 3,050 attacks per week, compared with just over 2,000 per week globally, and Latin American government networks faced nearly 4,200 attacks weekly—about a thousand more than the regional average for all industries, according to data from Check Point Software Technologies.
The month also saw a notable breach footprint: hacktivists compromised at least nine government agencies in Mexico with AI assistance, Colombia’s health ministry Supersalud reported more than 23 million cyberattacks and probes, and Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation halted driver’s-licence appointments after a cyber incident.
The attackers are described as mostly financially motivated criminals, though nation-state espionage and hacktivism are described as evolving risks, according to Camilo Gutierrez of ESET. Experts emphasise that government bodies must curb exposed data and tightening security around email, which remains the primary delivery method for many attacks. According to the article, these dynamics reflect a broader shift of Latin America from a secondary to a highly targeted region for cyber threats.