Mexican Businesses Vulnerable to Cyberattacks, Says Data Protection Agency

Josefina Roman Vergara, the Commissioner of INAI, a Mexican agency responsible for protecting personal data, has urged businesses to reinforce their security standards, acknowledging that the country is vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The commissioner made the statement at a virtual forum recently, according to Spanish media outlet El Siglo.

Roman said government agencies and companies in sectors including health, financial services, and telecommunications, are the main targets of cyber criminals.

The commissioner said cyberattacks are a global problem, urging countries in the region to work together to mitigate the crisis.

Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru are also equally vulnerable to cuberattacks, she said citing the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) 2020 report.

In its report, the IDB estimated that cyber incidents caused US$90 billion in economic damage in 2019 alone.

According to report, more than three quarters of the countries in the region lack the critical infrastructure to respond to the threat on cyberspace.

Roman has defended the country’s existing data protection standards, adding that the country is open to make changes to the cybersecurity laws.