Brazil Ranked Second Most Vulnerable to Cyberattacks in 2023 Due to 6 Threats
(Sponsored) According to numerous reports, the United States is the only country in the world that blocked more threats than Brazil in the previous year.
Now, keep in mind that while this number can be made to sound good (these attempts were blocked, right), in reality, it’s never so ideal.
The only reason why there are more blocked attacks is because there were more attacks to begin with.
This is a horrifying statistic and user protection in 2024 needs to rise up to the severity of this threat.
By studying the problems that caused this highly unfavorable stat from last year, we can, hopefully, do better in 2024.
With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top six threats that made Brazil the second country in the world most vulnerable to cyberattacks in 2023.
1. Lack of overall awareness
The majority of people are completely oblivious to all forms of cybersecurity threats that exist on the internet.
Sure, they know about viruses and that they should install an antivirus; perhaps even they should avoid suspicious sites; however, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A surprisingly high number of internet users in Brazil don’t know the first thing about phishing.
Some know that they shouldn’t click on suspicious links, but the majority fear only that they’ll download malicious software (that their antivirus would protect them from, anyway). They don’t know about fake sites and how they can be as dangerous as keyloggers.
Viruses and phishing are two huge threats, but they’re also the two most talked-about threats.
This means that if they have heard of any threats, this is what they’ve heard of. What about spy apps?
A lack of awareness in this field is especially concerning, especially in 2024, with tracking becoming popular at an alarming rate.
According to Ilijia Miljkovac, tech writer at Techopedia, most of these apps are installed by concerned parents and partners; however, the list of potential uses can go even beyond that. This is a major concern.
2. So many Brazilians are online
The majority of the population uses the internet on a daily basis, and roughly 80% of them have access to social media.
Now, keep in mind that globally, the percentage is around 61%. Moreover, roughly 92% of Brazilians are using messaging services.
All that this means is that there are more people who are potential threats and targets. With more potential threats, a region becomes a more lucrative ground for hackers and malicious online parties.
Now, combine this with the general lack of awareness, and what you get is the perfect storm of conditions for the statistics we’ve mentioned in the introduction.
There’s even a problem caused by the fallacy known as safety in numbers. More and more people are using it, especially people from their immediate surroundings (friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, etc.), and they are getting WOM recommendations on platforms.
WOM recommendations they always trust… regardless of the fact that the people who are making these recommendations are not experts.
3. Inadequate software protection
Another huge problem is that Brazilians are not using adequate software protection for their devices.
First of all, a lot of them use antivirus software, but even then, they make many mistakes. First, they pause antivirus as soon as it doesn’t let them download something they want (rendering it effectively useless).
Second, they assume that the free version of the software is the same as a premium one (we’ll talk more about this a bit later).
Ultimately, they assume that antivirus is just for the PC and don’t have it installed on the rest of their devices.
Anti-malware can be a standalone software or an antivirus feature. It’s safer to check this before making any assumptions.
They also don’t use VPNs as much as they should. A VPN is not just a tool that can protect your IP address. It’s also a software that offers you a bit of extra encryption.
4. Piracy engrained in culture
On average, Brazilians are really unwilling to pay for the software they use. This is why, on average, they’re more likely to engage in piracy.
Now, while piracy is hated by IP holders for their financial loss, when it comes to cybersecurity, it’s worth pointing out that the control of pirated files is not that great.
The best you can do is read the comment section and ratings on the pirating site you’re downloading from, but this can even be rigged.
Just think about it; this is not legal. As such, no regulatory oversight is made to keep the users secure.
Whenever pirating and downloading something from a suspicious site, you’re exposing yourself to a considerable risk.
These sites are also filled with cookies, and by agreeing that you can use them, you’re giving out your personal information to a potentially malicious, unknown party.
Even when not pirating, Brazilians prefer free software to premium versions. Needless to say, these always offer sub-optimal protection.
5. Brazil is always an early adopter
While this sounds like a great thing, it also has a negative connotation to it. Namely, being an early adopter means using a product before it’s polished.
It means using it before millions and millions have tried it out, used it, and reported countless bugs.
On average, Brazilians are massive early adopters of new technologies. Whenever there’s a new platform or a new tool, Brazilians are more likely just to start using it before the rest of the world.
Even when globally available, Brazilians are more likely to start using it in larger numbers, which further feeds into that unfortunate statistic. This is one of the things that made Brazil the main target of digital attacks in Latin America.
While this helps make the internet safer as a whole (someone has to start using it in order to discover all the bugs), it’s usually the early adopters who get the worst outcomes.
Therefore, while they’re providing great service to the internet, the statistics are going to keep punishing them, as well as their home region.
6. Dangers in various fields of industry
It’s not just individual users who are in danger; sometimes, even whole industries can be atthreat.
This is a huge problem in the Brazilian economy, and the response from these companies is, sadly, still lacking.
The most frequent attacks happen with wireless telecom carriers, general cargo transportation, and data processing. Other telecom services, as well as insurance agencies and brokerages, are closely followed.
Surprisingly enough, religious organizations and even clinics are often under attack by these parties, as well.
Overall, these fields can only be made secure through a more systematic approach, which means better regulation and more effective policies. This is the only thing that will yield positive outcomes.
No progress can be made before these six issues are resolved
So, the solution is easy to comprehend but hard to implement. First, you have to raise awareness among Brazilians.
When they understand the threats, they’ll have an easy time getting informed on the solution for each of these problems.
The rest comes down to cultural aspects of internet use in Brazil, which might be slightly more difficult to rectify.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.