Technology is advancing every day and artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer used just as a work and entertainment tool, but to commit cyberattacks against individuals, companies and government entities for economic, social and political reasons, revealed the representative of a company specializing in cybersecurity.
NetReady, which is dedicated to cybersecurity, corporate management, networks and telecommunications, indicated that cyberattacks on individuals are constant because they do not know how to use digital tools and do not know how to avoid risks, since most think that “nothing will happen to them” and fall into the traps of promotions and supposed prizes that they receive from unknown users seeking to obtain personal information.
Luis Ortiz, representative of NetReady in Guatemala, an entity that has provided advice to national and international companies on how to protect their computer systems, said that 20 years ago cyber attacks were committed only through the installation of viruses. However, with the arrival of AI, anyone has access to hacking into systems.
“Anyone has the ability. Now it is much simpler, there are many people studying technology in schools, in universities, there is better preparation. Now it is not complicated,” he said.
He added that “with engineering, a platform can impersonate a financial company to request confidential data, steal identities and manipulate information for economic, social and political purposes.”
The expert said that cyberattacks are aimed at “home users” because they are not aware of what can happen to them and do not use tools to prevent cyberthreats, so the risk against them is higher.
“The main problem is the lack of awareness. Most people think that nothing is wrong with them and they think that they can click on any link, respond to a promotion on WhatsApp, on a page they browse or on a portal to do their children’s homework,” he warned.
He exemplified that, just as we are careful when walking on the street, we must be careful when walking on the Internet, because there are those who seek to profit from our information.
Ortiz recommends looking for digital protection tools that are not just antivirus and paying monthly, if necessary, to avoid being victims of hacking.
According to the cybersecurity expert, 70 percent of companies in Guatemala do not have programs to protect their systems and the number of attacks on the business sector has increased by 200 percent, compared to 2023.
Ortiz said that many cyber attacks occur in banks and insurance companies because they are seeking economic benefits, while in government entities they try to affect not only a public service but also their image.
They can also break into companies, not necessarily financial ones, to affect inventory or billing for some purpose.
“Last year, large non-financial companies in Guatemala were victims of attacks. There are companies whose information is stolen and they pay millions of dollars to have it returned to them,” he said.
He added that some cyber attacks on companies in Guatemala have been very strong, to the point that cybercriminals have obtained information from employees’ bank accounts.
To avoid these problems, Ortiz clarified that companies’ campaigns should be directed at their employees, to raise their awareness about the proper use of the platforms they use in their work teams.
Technology is evolving, Ortiz said, and as tools for illegally accessing computer systems emerge, so do tools to prevent it, which is why large companies have suffered strong cyber attacks without repercussions because they already have protection measures in place.
He also warned that a cyber attack can occur in a matter of thousandths of a second, and in Guatemala, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the most unprotected in terms of cyber security systems.
Regarding whether the cyberattacks come from Guatemala or abroad, the company representative indicated that most come from other countries, although he assures that they are also national, because there are digital pages in which users ask for advice from other experts to gain access to private platforms.
“Guatemala has a long way to go. We have visited clients in Mexico and Brazil, and companies need to create cybersecurity programs and have a single budget to optimize that. Companies don’t believe that it can be of any use to them and they don’t do it,” he explained.
According to data provided by NetReady, cyber attacks in Latin America have been increasing, especially in countries such as Brazil, which ranks first; Colombia, second; and Chile, third. In Central America, for example, in Costa Rica, government organizations have been particularly targeted.
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