Brazil is the leader in companies attacked by hackers
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 5:19 am
According to Eugene Kaspersky, the impact of the quarantine (which has already lasted 12 weeks in many countries) on the cybersecurity market will be limited. However, he admits that the pandemic greece mobile database has allowed cybercriminals to intensify the spread of threats over the internet and target more victims - including companies.
Companies in the spotlight
“The bad news is that whenever something big happens, cybercriminals seize the opportunity,” explains Kaspersky. “Even more so in this period when people spend more time online or when employees have been moved from the office to working from home without adequate protection provided by their companies. This makes them easy targets and creates opportunities for cybercriminals to find and infect their victims.”
According to recent analysis by Dmitry Bestuzhev, Director of Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team in Latin America, there has been a steady increase in targeted ransomware attacks against businesses in recent months. From January to May this year, we successfully blocked 30,000 such attacks worldwide – more than 200 unique potential victims successfully defended per day. Our data also reveals that Brazil leads the list of countries most affected by corporate ransomware attacks worldwide, while at a regional level, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador and Peru round out the top 5.
Brazilian companies are among the most attacked by ransomware this year
“What cybercriminals do is attack a hospital or any other entity to steal information. They later encrypt it and threaten to make the stolen data public. Embarrassed and afraid of the distrust and fines generated by a security incident like this, most organizations give in to blackmail,” explains Bestuzhev. “These groups are responsible for attacks on hospitals and healthcare organizations, critical services during this pandemic, but they also target banks, insurance companies, law firms, accounting firms, among others, and they are here to stay.”
According to the expert, the social isolation requirements necessary to combat the Covid-19 outbreak increase the risk of cyberattacks against Latin American companies for three reasons. First, bad corporate online habits, such as weak passwords , application of software patches and high piracy rates, already left companies vulnerable. Added to this is the fact that many had to rush to provide equipment to employees for remote work, who generally did not have corporate security solutions. Finally, many organizations adopted remote access tools (Remote Desktop Protocol – RDP) to facilitate home office, but offered little or no guidance to employees on good cybersecurity practices. “Because RDP is widely used by network administrators, cybercriminals are mobilizing to invade these systems.
However, adopting basic habits can protect companies against cyberthreats, such as creating strong passwords, prompt and frequent software updates, using only licensed software, and having a quality corporate security solution. In addition, it is highly recommended to provide cybersecurity awareness training so that employees can identify risks and work safely, whether at home or in the office,” says Bestuzhev.
Companies in the spotlight
“The bad news is that whenever something big happens, cybercriminals seize the opportunity,” explains Kaspersky. “Even more so in this period when people spend more time online or when employees have been moved from the office to working from home without adequate protection provided by their companies. This makes them easy targets and creates opportunities for cybercriminals to find and infect their victims.”
According to recent analysis by Dmitry Bestuzhev, Director of Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team in Latin America, there has been a steady increase in targeted ransomware attacks against businesses in recent months. From January to May this year, we successfully blocked 30,000 such attacks worldwide – more than 200 unique potential victims successfully defended per day. Our data also reveals that Brazil leads the list of countries most affected by corporate ransomware attacks worldwide, while at a regional level, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador and Peru round out the top 5.
Brazilian companies are among the most attacked by ransomware this year
“What cybercriminals do is attack a hospital or any other entity to steal information. They later encrypt it and threaten to make the stolen data public. Embarrassed and afraid of the distrust and fines generated by a security incident like this, most organizations give in to blackmail,” explains Bestuzhev. “These groups are responsible for attacks on hospitals and healthcare organizations, critical services during this pandemic, but they also target banks, insurance companies, law firms, accounting firms, among others, and they are here to stay.”
According to the expert, the social isolation requirements necessary to combat the Covid-19 outbreak increase the risk of cyberattacks against Latin American companies for three reasons. First, bad corporate online habits, such as weak passwords , application of software patches and high piracy rates, already left companies vulnerable. Added to this is the fact that many had to rush to provide equipment to employees for remote work, who generally did not have corporate security solutions. Finally, many organizations adopted remote access tools (Remote Desktop Protocol – RDP) to facilitate home office, but offered little or no guidance to employees on good cybersecurity practices. “Because RDP is widely used by network administrators, cybercriminals are mobilizing to invade these systems.
However, adopting basic habits can protect companies against cyberthreats, such as creating strong passwords, prompt and frequent software updates, using only licensed software, and having a quality corporate security solution. In addition, it is highly recommended to provide cybersecurity awareness training so that employees can identify risks and work safely, whether at home or in the office,” says Bestuzhev.