Brazil Rises to Top Tier of Global Cybercrime Targets

Image: Brazil FinTech illustration — source: tokenist.com

Brazil has entered 2025 as one of the most targeted nations on the planet for digital crime. A new international cybersecurity assessment shows the country is now third in the world in ransomware detections, behind only the United States and India, and the clear leader in Latin America. Specialists warn that attacks are becoming faster, smarter, and far harder for users and companies to detect.

Escalating Phishing and Ransomware Activity

The Acronis Cyberthreats Report H2 2025 highlights a sharp rise in global cyberattacks, with phishing remaining the primary gateway for ransomware infections. In Brazil, phishing accounts for 52% of all cyber intrusions, making it the dominant entry point for data‑seizing malware.

The report also shows a 20% increase in attack attempts per user in the last six months, signaling a wave of mass, automated, and increasingly sophisticated criminal operations.
Other analyses from the Acronis Threat Research Unit confirm that cyberattacks surged worldwide in 2025, driven by AI‑enhanced phishing, automation, and expanding attack surfaces.

AI‑Powered Crime and Expanding Attack Surfaces

Cybercriminal groups are now using artificial intelligence to automate extortion, craft highly convincing fake messages, and even generate deepfakes used in virtual kidnapping scams.
Collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack have also become major targets. In just one year, the attack surface in these environments jumped from 12% to 31%, fueled by the growth of remote and hybrid work.

Most Targeted Sectors

The industries most affected by ransomware and AI‑driven attacks include:

• Manufacturing

• Technology

• Healthcare

These sectors cannot afford operational downtime, making them prime targets for extortion. Globally, more than 7,600 victims had their data exposed by criminal hacker groups in 2025.

Why Brazil Is on the Front Line

Brazil’s rapid digitalization, large online population, and uneven cybersecurity infrastructure have made it a lucrative target.
Acronis data shows the country consistently ranks among the top nations for malware and ransomware detections, with some reports placing Brazil as high as second globally for malware activity in 2025.

What Experts Recommend

The report emphasizes that companies must:

• Automate cybersecurity defenses

• Train employees to identify phishing and social‑engineering attempts

• Strengthen monitoring of collaboration platforms

• Prepare for AI‑enhanced threats that evolve faster than traditional defenses

As cybercrime becomes more advanced, specialists warn that organizations must anticipate threats rather than simply react to them.