Mexico’s CISOs Expect Cyberattack Amid Rising General AI Risks

Proofpoint‘s latest "Voice of the CISO 2025" reveals a growing concern among Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in Mexico. The study highlights that 80% of them anticipate a material cyberattack in the next 12 months, identifying human risk and data loss driven by Generative AI as their main concerns.

“Mexican organizations are going through a key moment in which innovation and risk coexist; Generative AI is transforming how companies operate, collaborate, and defend themselves, but it also introduces new vulnerabilities around the protection and misuse of data,” says Luis Isselin, Country Manager of Mexico, Proofpoint. “In Mexico, we are seeing an encouraging push toward responsible AI governance, where CISOs balance the need to innovate with the duty to protect.”

The 2025 analysis identifies two critical trends: the increased frequency and complexity of cyberattacks, which generates greater anxiety among CISOs, and the rapid rise of Generative AI, which forces leaders to balance innovation with managing new risks of data exposure and misuse.

Key Findings for Mexico

Despite the high perception of risk, a significant gap in preparedness exists. While eight of 10 CISOs in Mexico consider a material cyberattack likely in the next year, more than half (57%) admit their organization is not prepared to respond to one. This situation is compounded by the fact that 42% of CISOs in the country reported suffering material data loss during the past year. The main vectors for these incidents were external compromise and third-party attacks.

Human error continues to be identified as the greatest vulnerability in cybersecurity. In Mexico, 88% of CISOs point to the human factor as their main risk, a figure that places the country first in this category globally. This perception contrasts with the fact that 82% of the same executives believe their employees understand security best practices. This disconnect underscores that awareness alone does not necessarily translate into secure behavior.

A key finding is that 98% of CISOs in Mexico who experienced data loss attribute part of the responsibility to employees who left the organization. Despite the widespread adoption of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools, almost one in five executives (19%) believes their information remains insufficiently protected. In response, 86% now place information protection and governance as a top priority.

Generative AI has established itself as both a priority and a central concern. Eighty-one percent of CISOs in Mexico say that enabling the use of Generative AI tools is a strategic priority for the next two years. However, almost three out of five (58%) fear a potential loss of customer data through public Generative AI platforms. The main risks identified in Mexico are Generative AI chatbots (53%) and collaboration platforms (38%).

To mitigate these risks, organizations are transitioning from restriction to governance. Eighty-four percent already implement usage guidelines and 87% are exploring AI-based defenses. Nonetheless, 61% of companies completely restrict the use of these tools by employees.

Threat Landscape and CISO Burnout

The threat landscape for CISOs in Mexico is diverse and complex. Ransomware (55%) tops the list of concerns, followed by cloud account takeovers (42%), email fraud (41%), and malware (41%). Given the complexity of the situation, 84% of CISOs in the country say they would consider paying a ransom to restore systems or prevent data leakage, the highest rate globally alongside Canada.

Pressure on CISOs remains high. Eighty-seven percent of executives in Mexico report feeling excessive expectations about their role, and 81% claim to have experienced or witnessed burnout in the last year. Although 79% perceive that their board of directors shares their vision on cybersecurity, 22% still feel they lack the necessary resources to meet their goals. The main concerns of boards after a cyberattack are business valuation, reputational damage, loss of sensitive information, and significant operational interruptions.

The report was based on a survey of 1,600 CISOs in 16 countries, including 100 executives in Mexico, from organizations with 1,000 or more employees across various industries.