LATIN America is now described as the riskiest region for cyberattacks, with organisations facing a mix of data-leak extortion, credential-stealing campaigns, edge-device exploitation and growing use of AI by attackers. The region saw an average of 3,065 attacks per week last year, a year-on-year rise of 26%, and about three-quarters (76%) of organisations suffered information-disclosure attacks.
More than 5% of regional organisations were hit by ransomware, and CrowdStrike notes Brazil, Mexico and Argentina as the most targeted countries, particularly for ransomware gangs and initial access brokers. Attacks are being driven by data-leak extortion and credential-driven intrusion, and Check Point Research data show a 38% rise in activity among brokers supplying access and tooling in the region.
According to Check Point Research, Latin America’s vast digital footprints and cross-border business links make the area attractive to financially motivated criminals and selective nation-state actors targeting government or infrastructure entities. Generative AI uptake is widespread (91% of organisations using AI tools), though about a quarter of prompts could include potentially sensitive data, underscoring the need for governance as 2026 approaches. 28 January 2026.