LatAm Now Faces 2x More Cyberattacks Than US
Summary
Check Point’s March 2026 data — reported by Dark Reading — shows Latin America (LatAm) is now the world’s most heavily targeted region for cyberattacks, averaging about 3,100 threats per week versus just under 1,500 per week in the United States. Threat growth in the region has been rapid (a 53% year‑over‑year rise was noted previously), and the character of attacks in LatAm differs markedly from the US: more ransomware, infostealers, banking malware and botnet activity, and a much higher reliance on email-based delivery such as phishing.
The Organisation of American States and Inter‑American Development Bank assessments point to generally low to mid cybersecurity maturity across many countries (CMM scores typically 2–3), mixed IT environments, uneven security investment and limited cyber‑awareness as major drivers of the disparity. High‑profile incidents and supply‑chain compromises demonstrate that even larger organisations in the region remain vulnerable.
Key Points
- LatAm organisations face ~3,100 cyber threats per week vs ~1,500 per week in the US (Check Point, March 2026).
- Attack types skew differently: ransomware (5.4% LatAm vs 3.1% US), infostealers (5.3% vs 2.1%), banking malware (2.8% vs 0.8%) and botnets (13.1% vs 7.2%) are more common in LatAm.
- Delivery vectors diverge: 95% of malicious files in the US came via the Web, whereas 74% in LatAm were delivered by email (phishing) and only 26% via the Web.
- Healthcare, followed by education and financial services, is disproportionately targeted in LatAm; healthcare is consistently the top victim sector there.
- Root causes include generally lower cybersecurity maturity (OAS/IDB CMM scores ~2–3), mixed IT environments, uneven investment and low cyber‑awareness that makes phishing especially effective.
- Supply‑chain and insider incidents (eg, a Brazilian fintech breach) show attackers exploit both technical gaps and human weaknesses.
Author style
Punchy: this is a clear, urgent brief — the numbers are stark and the implications serious for anyone with business, customers or partners in LatAm. Read the detail if you want the context behind the headline.
Why should I read this?
Heads up — if you work with organisations in Latin America (or have customers there), this is a wake‑up call. The region’s attack volume and phishing focus mean the risk profile is different and often higher. We’ve done the reading for you: the article shows where attackers are succeeding and why, so you can prioritise fixes fast.
Context and Relevance
This piece matters because it highlights a shifting global threat landscape: rapid digital adoption in LatAm without matched cybersecurity maturity creates a fertile environment for opportunistic and scaled attacks. For CISOs, risk teams and vendors, the data signals where to allocate training, phishing defences, fraud monitoring and incident response resources. For international organisations, it emphasises the need to assess supply‑chain and regional exposure.
Source
Source: https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/latam-2x-more-cyberattacks-us