When Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867, he imagined that his breakthrough would help humans in construction or mining tasks. Not that it would become a weapon of war. The same happens with technology that has made great contributions to the development of humanity, but in the wrong hands it ends up becoming a threat.
Kaspersky, the cybersecurity firm, published that on average in 2024, there were 467,000 cyberattacks detected per day worldwide, which represents an increase of 14% compared to 2023.
In Guatemala, there is a growing concern for cybersecurity. According to a report by Check Point Research, in 2023, 6,316 cyberattacks were registered in the country. Of these, 2,635 were directed at companies, especially in the banking and finance sectors. It is important to note that 92% of these attacks originated through malicious emails.
The public sector has also received attacks that have made the news, such as those suffered by the Ministry of Public Finance between November 26, 2023, and January of 2024, which paralyzed the systems of State Contracting and Procurement (Guatecompras) and the Integrated Accounting System (Sicoin). Another one took place on September 2022, which sought to illegally access the databases of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In response, at least three bills are being discussed in Congress that seek to regulate cybercrimes. However, these are still awaiting the opinion of the corresponding Commissions to start the approval process on the floor.
AI Used for Crime
It is estimated that more than 25% of cyberattacks in 2025 already use some form of artificial intelligence (AI) to evade traditional security controls. According to The Straits Times, humans have lost control of the internet to AI-powered bots. Thus, more than half of the traffic on the web are bots and most of these are malicious in nature. And cybercriminals are taking advantage of these advances to boost:
- Advanced phishing: create more realistic phishing emails capable of fooling even trained users.
- Smart malware: automating attacks that crack weak passwords in seconds.
- Deepfakes and Deepvoice: clone voices or faces for personalized scams.
- Cloud attacks: identifying security breaches in this type of system through automated analysis.
On the positive side, AI is also being used to prevent and strengthen security systems. According to IBM, organizations that have implemented AI have reduced costs associated with data breaches by up to US$3 million.
How to Protect Yourself
Prevention and ongoing team training are key to protecting against cyber threats, as 95% of successful attacks start with human error. But there are other measures that will be critical to protect your data and operations:
- Implement multifactor authentication (MFA). A strong password is not enough. Use a second method such as SMS code or an authentication app.
- Keep your systems and equipment up to date. Apply security patches as soon as they become available to prevent vulnerabilities and update operating systems. Also replace older computer systems and phones.
- Establish clear device usage policies. Limit the use of personal devices to access unprotected corporate data.
- Perform regular backups. In the event of a ransomware attack (a malicious program that hijacks data), having backups can save your critical information.
- Review and strengthen your incident response plan. Make sure you know how to act if a security breach occurs, because time is money.
The evolution of AI-enabled cybercrime is not a threat of the future; it is already a reality. Being prepared and taking preventative measures today can make the difference between operational continuity and a costly crisis.
If you have any questions about the subject, please do not hesitate to contact us.
