When you turn on your computer in the morning, you don't think about perimeters or firewalls. You think about accessing your emails, internal systems, financial applications, and collaborative tools. Unbeknownst to you, this very everyday action has become the center of today's biggest digital threats.
Today, the preferred entry point for attackers is no longer the protected server, but the unsuspecting user with their vulnerable digital identity. In Brazil and Latin America, protecting access has become the new frontier of cybersecurity – a challenge that, when understood by companies as a strategic priority, will completely change the course of the fight against digital attacks.
Compromised login credentials and phishing have become one of the main vectors of intrusion today. Recent studies indicate that at least 74% of security incidents involve some form of human error or social engineering as the initial vector, with phishing being the most frequent method.
In other words, attackers often trick employees into revealing passwords or clicking on malicious links, paving the way for the intrusion. Furthermore, the abundance of leaked credentials on the internet exacerbates this problem: in 2024, Bitsight recorded 2.9 billion unique compromised credentials, a jump from 2.2 billion in 2023. In addition, since April 2024, more than 19 billion credentials have been exposed globally.
This data explains why digital identities have become hackers' "gold"—by gaining unauthorized access to legitimate accounts, they can easily bypass traditional defenses.
From the perimeter to Zero Trust: identity-centric prevention
Faced with this problem, many companies in Brazil and also in Latin America are rethinking their defense strategies to place identity at the center of security.
Models and controls once considered advanced are now indispensable for preventing identity threats before they cause damage. Key preventative approaches include the Zero Trust approach, which significantly reduces the attack surface by limiting the lateral movements of attackers who obtain credentials.
In addition, multifactor authentication (MFA) adds further layers of security to account access, virtually eliminating attacks that rely solely on stolen or compromised passwords through phishing – something reinforced by recent studies showing that almost all compromised accounts did not use MFA.
In parallel, robust identity management policies, such as the principle of least privilege and continuous monitoring of permissions, drastically reduce the loopholes available to cybercriminals. Combined with advanced technologies such as Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), capable of detecting abnormal behavior in real time, these practices allow for anticipating threats and acting preventively, preventing small initial flaws or deviations from evolving into serious attacks. Thus, organizations can act proactively against modern threats, consistently strengthening their digital defenses.
Regional risks and the urgency of proactive prevention
Adopting this preventative, identity-focused approach is not just a trend, but a strategic necessity. Both Brazil and Latin America face specific challenges: ransomware and espionage groups have Brazil as a preferred target, combining the efforts of local and international criminals in complex attacks.
Many of these attacks exploit identity security gaps – be it a misconfigured server, a VPN protected only by a password, or untrained users falling victim to scams. Add to that budgetary constraints and a lack of specialized security personnel affecting many local businesses, and we have a scenario where prevention is far more effective than remediation.
A serious breach can cost millions of reais in financial damages, service interruptions, and loss of trust. On the other hand, investing in prevention brings efficiency and security gains: it reduces the occurrence of incidents (avoiding downtime), decreases the time spent on emergency responses and investigations, and protects the organization's reputation.
In the public sector and in SMEs, a proactive approach can free up resources previously spent "putting out fires" to be applied to innovation and growth, while ensuring compliance with laws such as the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law) and other data protection regulations.
Identity at the heart of the strategy
Strategically, investing in identity threat prevention is key to ensuring business continuity and trust. Organizations that adopt strong authentication, Zero Trust policies, and continuous account monitoring create an environment less conducive to attack and better prepared for the future. It's about anticipating the adversary, thwarting their preferred techniques, and thus preventing losses before they even occur.
In Brazil and Latin America, where the creativity of cybercriminals continues to grow, this preventative approach offers not only greater security but also more operational efficiency – after all, it is much more effective to build solid defenses now than to deal with the consequences of an incident later.
Making the protection of digital identities the cornerstone of your security strategy is not only advisable: it is what will differentiate resilient and successful organizations in the age of advanced cyber threats.
By Felipe Guimarães, Chief Information Security Officer – CISO of Solo Iron
