Mexico in the Top 10 cybercrimes in the world

Over time, the daily life of societies in most countries develops through electronic components and virtual platforms. Imagining a world without these tools would be impossible, due to the advantages in the transfer of information in record time, the reduction of costs and the precision in their results that these components represent. Over the years, the lives of people in large proportions of the planet have become increasingly immersed in the cyberworld, a situation that increases the possibility of individuals being victims of crime on this type of platform.

Given the panorama described above, it is extremely important to take into consideration that the care, handling and storage of the data generated by these services are crucial for the global economy and human coexistence together.

The problem with scaling up these services is that the overexposure of e-platforms in any country permanently exposes them to risks and threats.

In this context, Mexico is not exempt from dangers such as cyber crime intended for public or private institutions: since, according to a classification carried out by the cybersecurity firm based in Netherlands, Surfshark, The nation is in the top 10 countries with the highest cybercrime rate in the world, thus being the only Latin American nation to make the list.

In this same sense, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines computer crimes as any unlawful or illegal behavior that is carried out, through computer media, using various devices, software and the Internet to access personal information and use it. mischievously.

In total, the Surfshark study reports that 1,100 Mexicans have formally denounced having been victims of online fraud, however, the number could be even higher, due to the large number of people who do not file a complaint with the authorities.

Meanwhile, the American multinational Fortinet, a leader in security solutions and services, revealed that in 2022 the Latin America and the Caribbean region suffered more than 360 billion cyberattack attempts, according to information provided by the laboratory. analysis and threat intelligence of this important company. Of this analyzed universe, Mexico received the most attempted attacks with 187 billion, followed by Brazil with 103 billion, Colombia with 20 billion and Peru with 15 billion.

This figure reflects two things: on the one hand, Mexico is a country with vast vulnerabilities in virtual platforms that many cybercriminals have managed to identify; secondly, the importance of this country in the region has increased significantly and substantially, hence the growth of this phenomenon.

Information technology experts have reported that the growing wave of cyberattacks against users in Mexico is due to multiple factors, including the lack of a culture to protect personal information which is usually stored on servers and individual mobile phones, in addition to the fact that consumers on average are not used to downloading different levels of protection from software specialized in handling this type of information.

Data from the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) indicates that in Mexico there are 88.6 million Internet users and 91.7 million people who use mobile phones. The agency said that the main activities carried out by Internet users are: communicating with each other, with 93.8%; obtaining information, with 89.9%, and accessing social networks with 89.8%. Which means that if most of this information is not properly protected, you run the risk of this data falling into the hands of cybercriminals and being misused.

Therefore, taking into account this type of situation should become a priority in all public sector institutions, because a country protected and prepared for such circumstances will be in better conditions to contribute to reducing undesirable or risky situations for the well-being of its people and its national interests. For all these reasons, if this phenomenon is not one of the central issues on the national agenda, in the immediate term; It would be a good time for this situation to begin to change within the Mexican government at all levels of action and put the country on a more effective level of prevention and response.

BY LUIS MIGUEL MARTINEZ ANZURES
PRESIDENT OF INAP

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