Brazil handled R$17 billion in cybersecurity in 2024, according to a survey by Peers Consulting + Technology, a direct reflection of the escalation of digital crimes in the country.The projection is that by 2029, this market will reach almost US$4.5 billion, driven by the increase in demand for protection in increasingly complex digital environments.
The same study points out that the country registers about 140 thousand cyber attacks per year, with the public sector being the main target, with almost 30% of the occurrences. This expressive volume of attacks keeps Brazil among the main focuses of cyber attacks in Latin America.
Concern intensifies with the arrival of 6G, expected in 2030, which promises to connect billions of devices simultaneously in critical applications such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities and remote surgeries.This new infrastructure will significantly expand the attack surface and require robust advances in digital protection to ensure data security and real-time operations
“With 6G, the speed of information becomes exponential. And this also applies to cybercrime.The only way to respond to this new reality is with artificial intelligence operating in real time”, says Ana Cerqueira, CRO of the Brazilian cybersecurity company ZenoX.
6G: speed, volume and a new frontier of risk
The promise of 6G is to deliver ultra-fast connectivity, near-zero latency, and large-scale integration of smart objects, from the car to the medical record.
“Each new connection point is a potential new vulnerability. 6G infrastructure extends the risk perimeter in an unprecedented way”, says Ana Cerqueira. According to the executive, the response to this scenario requires threat intelligence platforms capable of continuously monitoring anomalous behavior and identifying suspicious movements still in an early stage.
With multiple devices connected at all times, protecting digital identities becomes a priority. 6G will bring more complex authentication contexts, requiring continuous monitoring of credentials, suspicious activities and possible leaks.“In the hyperconnected world, protecting identities is protecting the system itself. They become the new critical point of digital security”
AI shortens the window between attack and response
One of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity is reaction time.While attacks are fired in microseconds, often the response of security teams occurs minutes, or hours, later.
“Atificial intelligence allows us to automate critical analyses and decisions.With it, we were able to drastically reduce the window of exposure and act at almost the same pace as the” attack, says Ana.
Today there are already AI-based tools on the market, which operate with risk algorithms that prioritize alerts based on real threats, avoiding overload on teams and increasing the accuracy of the response.
Cybersecurity gains strategic investment status
The consolidation of digital security as a budget priority is evidence of a change of mentality in the corporate sector. According to the same survey, cybersecurity investments should grow 9% in Brazil in 2025, and many companies plan to allocate between 4% and 7% of their Information Technology (IT) budgets to the area of cybersecurity. This movement positions the sector as a driver of stability and business continuity in an increasingly regulated and demanding environment regarding data protection.
