Peru’s new digital shield: How AI is tackling the rise of cyberattacks

Artificial intelligence has become an essential component of modern cybersecurity, providing capabilities to act at a speed and scale that far surpasses human capacity.

The proliferation of cyber threats in Peru in 2025 has reached unprecedented levels. During the first half of the year, the country registered approximately 748.2 million attempted cyberattacks, according to data from FortiGuard Labs.

Among these attacks, phishing campaigns accounted for 62% of the detected incidents. In this context of increasing risk, artificial intelligence is emerging as a strategic tool for both anticipating attacks and strengthening defenses.

For Luis Ladera, Business Development Director at DIMA, AI allows for the enhancement and expansion of automated red-team exercises and penetration tests that previously required weeks of human effort.

“With the assistance of AI and the implementation of machine learning algorithms, realistic scenarios can be recreated for the identification and exploitation of vulnerabilities, the simulation of degradation from heavy use, and the recreation of social engineering attacks, among other critical scenarios. This allows for prioritizing and accelerating remediation efforts and conducting exercises at scale,” he notes.

Furthermore, AI-controlled offensives allow for the discovery of vectors that go unnoticed in traditional audits, making it a fast and secure way to improve an organization’s digital hygiene.

On the other hand, Ladera indicates that AI, when working in defense mode, accelerates the identification and containment of threats. “The use of platforms with detection models based on behavior and correlation, aided by AI, can significantly reduce the average time to detect and react to incidents, automating tasks and facilitating the identification of anomalous situations through intelligent correlation, thus reducing the excess of alerts that often overwhelm security teams.” He also points out that AI allows for optimized risk management by focusing resources where they are most needed.

In Peru, the need for cyber protection has driven a growing adoption of managed security solutions, especially in sectors such as finance, mining, energy, telecommunications, manufacturing, and utilities—all frequent targets of targeted attacks.

“This environment is conducive to deploying a range of AI-powered cybersecurity solutions that automate monitoring, prioritize critical vulnerabilities, respond to attacks in real time, and ensure business continuity. This combination of AI, automated processes, and professional management significantly reduces operational risk and frees up IT staff for strategic tasks,” says the DIMA spokesperson.

Finally, Ladera emphasizes that the real risk will lie with organizations that have not yet implemented advanced cybersecurity strategies. As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, AI promises to be key for companies not only to respond but also to anticipate and mitigate emerging risks and enhance their collective defense capabilities. “AI is a strategic technology for businesses in various areas, including operational resilience and business continuity, enabling a truly proactive cybersecurity approach, which is essential in the digital age.”

Source: www.itsitio.com