Preventing identity threats is the future of cybersecurity

When you open your computer in the morning, you do not think of perimeters or firewalls.You think about accessing your emails, internal systems, financial applications and collaborative tools.Unknowingly, it is exactly this everyday gesture that has become the center of today's biggest digital threats.  

Today, the preferred door of the attackers is no longer the protected server, but the unsuspecting user with his vulnerable digital identity. In Brazil and Latin America, protecting accesses has become the new frontier of cybersecurity 'NO challenge that, when understood by companies as a strategic priority, will completely change the course of the fight against digital attacks.

Compromised access credentials and phishing have become a major intrusion vector today. Recent studies indicate that at least 74% of security incidents involve some human error or social engineering as an initial vector, with phishing being the most frequent method.  

That is, attackers often trick employees into revealing passwords or clicking malicious links, paving the way for the invasion. In addition, the abundance of leaked credentials on the internet potentiates this problem: in 2024, Bitsight recorded 2.9 billion unique credentials compromised, a jump from the 2.2 billion of 2023. In addition, since April 2024, more than 19 billion credentials have been exposed globally.  

This data explains why digital identities have become the “ouro” of hackers & by gaining improper access to legitimate accounts, they can bypass traditional defenses with ease.

From 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 put identity at the center of security.  

Previously considered advanced models and controls are now indispensable for preventing identity threats before they cause damage. Among the main preventive approaches, such as the Zero Trust approach, which significantly reduces the attack surface, limiting lateral movements of attackers who obtain credentials.  

Allied to this, multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds additional layers of security to account access, virtually eliminating attacks that rely solely on stolen or compromised passwords for phishing & phishing & IT, reinforced by recent studies showing that almost all compromised accounts did not use MFA.

At the same time, robust identity management policies, such as the principle of least privilege and continuous monitoring of permissions, dramatically reduce the gaps 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 anticipating threats and acting preventively, preventing small failures or initial deviations from evolving into serious attacks.

Regional risks and the urgency of proactive prevention

Adopting this preventive posture focused on identity is not only a trend, but a strategic need. Both Brazil and Latin America face specific challenges: ransomware and espionage groups have Brazil as their preferred target, combining efforts of local and international criminals in complex attacks.  

Many of these attacks exploit identity security gaps - whether it's a misconfigured server, a password-protected VPN, or untrained users who fall for fraud - add to that budget and security-savvy staff restrictions that affect multiple local businesses, and we have a scenario where prevention is far more efficient than remediation.  

A serious breach can cost millions of dollars in financial damage, service disruption and loss of trust. On the other hand, investing in prevention brings efficiency and safety gains: it reduces the occurrence of incidents (avoiding downtime), decreases the time spent on emergency responses and investigations, and protects organizational reputation.  

In the public sector and SMEs, a preventive stance can free up resources before spending“ by clearing” fires to be applied in innovation and growth, while ensuring compliance with laws such as LGPD and other data protection standards.

Identity at the heart of strategy

Strategically, betting on the prevention of identity threats is to ensure continuity and trust in business. Organizations that adopt strong authentication, Zero Trust policies and continuous account surveillance create an environment less conducive to attack and more prepared for the future.It is about anticipating the opponent, frustrating their favorite techniques, and thus avoid losses before they even occur.  

In Brazil and Latin America, where cybercriminals' creativity continues to grow, this preventive posture offers not only more 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 digital identity protection the cornerstone of security strategy is not only commendable: it is what will set resilient and successful organizations apart in the age of advanced cyber threats.

by Felipe Guimaraes, Chief Information Security Officer & CISO of Solo Iron