Cyber fraud against Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has increased substantially in 2023, causing these businesses, which generate 52% of the Gross Domestic Product in Mexico, to lose more than 20% of their sales, according to an analysis by the company specialized in cybersecurity and corporate intelligence Cyber Black.
Unfortunately, Mexico is the country with the highest number of business cyber frauds in Latin America, with an incidence three times higher than that registered in the United States and Europe.
In fact, between 2020 and 2022 there were 30,000 events in which this crime was recorded in our country, while In 2023 the number of cases exceeded 45,000 only from January to May, that is, there was an increase of 50%.
According to the cybersecurity expert, Luis Miguel Dena Escalera, Mexico City is the entity with the highest number of cases integrated into investigation folders, adding 57,607 between 2019 and last May. The State of Mexico follows, with 39,616; Jalisco with 26,514; Nuevo León with 15,547, and Puebla with 12,702.
The outlook is not rosy, since almost all of these crimes are effective and manage to be carried out to the detriment of thousands of victims, in an economic sector that generates more than 70% of the jobs in the country, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
The analysis of the Cyber Black firm led by Dena Escalante indicates that, of all cyber fraud attempts against Mypimes, 92% are carried out, while only in eight out of 10 cases are the criminals unsuccessful.
Fraud is a crime that is committed by “deceiving or taking advantage of the error” of the victim to illicitly obtain something, or to achieve undue profit, in accordance with the Penal Codes of our country. Therefore, when we talk about cyber fraud we are dealing with a type of fraud that is executed through computer systems, on the Internet, in applications or with malicious programs.
Organizational weakness
Cyber fraud against companies is explained because in Mexico there prevails “a weak organizational culture and poor corporate governance, (…) which causes losses in sales of micro, small and medium-sized companies, mainly, of up to 22 percent” , adds the Cyber Black report.
Other problems detected that affect the commission of these crimes against MSMEs are the lack of financial control and internal control, a poor management culture, in addition to the absence of standardized policies and procedures.
Additionally, cyber fraud related to financial tools or the use of the Mexican banking system also stands out in these crimes.
In this vein, the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (CONDUSEF) reported that, from 2020 to 2022, a total of 391,182 disputes due to possible fraud were registered, observing an increase in cybercrimes, which It could be explained by the increase in electronic commerce and the transfers that are made through the same means.
Data ransom
The lack of investment in cybersecurity is another factor that weakens MSMEs, considering that a much more robust system in this matter increases the company’s costs, when in reality The computer programs that protect the consortia’s networks are not an expense, if you keep in mind the large economic losses that can be suffered after cyber fraud.
It is estimated that – annually – cyber attacks on the entire Mexican business sector, not just Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, result in economic losses that exceed 50,000 million pesos.
He phishing, he ransomware and the malware, They are the main threats that must be combated with the implementation of security measures, which must be applied according to the different levels of risk that businesses present.
He ransomware It is a set of harmful computer programs through which access to infected systems and files is restricted, requesting a “ransom” from the criminals to eliminate the restriction. As it is a malicious code that prevents the use of affected computers, the perpetrators of the crime can take control of the systems of an entire company.
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Surya Palacios Journalist and lawyer, specialist in legal and human rights analysis. She has been a reporter, radio host and editor.