AI-enabled cyberattacks cause major data breaches in Latin America
IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach report found that nearly 19% of cyberattacks in Latin America were enabled by AI, primarily using deepfake-based identity impersonation and AI-enabled malware. Breaches cost organizations an average of $4.65 million with 40,300 compromised records per incident, while AI-equipped security operations reduced average breach costs to $4.04 million compared to $5.64 million for organizations without such tools.
What happened
According to IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach report, organizations in Latin America experienced cyberattacks in which nearly 19% were enabled by AI. These AI-enabled attacks were primarily composed of deepfake-based identity impersonation and AI-enabled malware, reconfiguring the economics of data breaches in the region.
Reported impact
Latin American organizations experienced an average cost of $4.65 million per data breach, with an average of 40,300 compromised records per incident. Attacks are becoming faster and cheaper to launch, while breaches remain expensive to detect and remediate.
Index analysis
Latin American companies that deployed AI and automation in security operations reported an average breach cost of $4.04 million, compared to $5.64 million among organizations without such tools, a difference of $1.6 million. Approximately 64% of Latin American organizations stated they plan to increase security investment following a data breach.
Governance controls
Organizations cited planned investments in AI security and governance tools (60%), cryptography management tools (52%), and identity and access management solutions (47%) as priorities following breach incidents.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.