Latin America faces surge in AI‑driven cyber threats

AI cybersecurity ransomware surge Latin America threat intelligence adoption patch management

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed to strengthen cyber defenses across Latin America and Spain. Companies are using AI‑based tools to analyse massive data streams, detect anomalous behaviour and respond to incidents before damage occurs. At the same time, AI is accelerating the discovery of software vulnerabilities, shrinking the window between disclosure and exploitation to 24‑48 hours.

A recent ESET Security Report for Latin America 2026 found that 52.7 % of surveyed organisations detected attempted attacks in the past year, yet only 23 % have adopted threat‑intelligence platforms. Ransomware activity rose 16.5 % in the first half of 2026, with 4,699 confirmed incidents, driven by groups such as Qilin, The Gentlemen and Akira. The report also highlighted a growing gap in patch management: organisations need an average of 16 days to apply critical updates, while 74 % admit they cannot patch in time due to staffing shortages.

In Spain, Fortinet’s new pay‑per‑use model is democratising advanced perimeter protection for SMEs. In Mexico, cyber‑fraud losses exceeded 20 billion pesos in 2024, prompting calls for greater investment in security. ESET’s live‑grid system helped avert more than US$12.5 million in potential losses in El Salvador. Experts warn that the accelerating pace of AI‑generated exploits could soon outstrip organisations’ ability to patch, creating a looming crisis in cyber resilience.

Entities

ESET · Fortinet · Fortinet, Inc. · Grupo Linka · Johanna Montero Araya · Juan Carlos Barrón Pastor · Popular Seguros · Spanish small and medium‑sized enterprises · Victoria Rivas

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Ransomware attacks increased 16.5% in the first half of 2026, with 4,699 confirmed incidents. t21.pe
[○ 1 SOURCE] 52.7% of Latin American organizations detected attempted cyber attacks in the past year. www.elinformativo.hn
[○ 1 SOURCE] Only 23% of surveyed organizations use threat‑intelligence platforms. www.elinformativo.hn
[○ 1 SOURCE] Organizations take an average of 16 days to apply critical security patches after identification. viatec.do
[○ 1 SOURCE] ESET avoided over US$12.5 million in potential losses in El Salvador during the last year. dinero.com.sv
[● 2 SOURCES] Fortinet introduced a pay‑per‑use security model for SMEs in Spain. dicpas.es · rafaelalberti.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Cyber‑fraud losses in Mexico exceeded 20 billion pesos in 2024. laverdadnoticias.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Artificial intelligence is being used to detect cyber threats and accelerate vulnerability discovery. www.laondadigital.uy · pzactual.com · viatec.do