Cybersecurity in Latin America (2018–2024): Cyberattacks, Ransomware Incidents and Digital Infrastructure by Country

This dataset compiles cybersecurity incident data, infrastructure metrics, and national digital readiness indicators for Latin America covering the period 2018–2024. It draws on ITU Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI 2020, 2024), Kaspersky Security Network regional threat reports, IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index (LATAM edition), CISA and national CERT incident logs, and InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) digital competitiveness assessments. Key variables include: annual cyberattack volume per country (millions of detections), ransomware incident counts by sector (healthcare, finance, government, critical infrastructure), phishing and malware prevalence rates, national cybersecurity budget as % of GDP, CSIRT/CERT capacity scores, Internet penetration and IPv6 adoption rates, and data breach frequency by industry. Countries covered: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay. The 2022 Costa Rica government ransomware emergency (Conti group, USD 27M ransom demand) and the 2023 Brazil PIX platform attacks are documented as case studies. Total financial losses in the region exceeded USD 6 billion in 2023 (ITU/IDB, 2024).