Full Report
The percentage of threats from email clients increased significantly in South America, and from the internet – in North America (Canada). The review of key cybersecurity issues in these regions.
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Regional Shift in Threat Vectors for Automated Systems
## Summary
Kaspersky ICS CERT has released its Q2 2025 report, indicating a significant divergence in cyberattack vectors across the Americas, with email threats surging in South America and internet-borne threats increasing notably in Canada. This highlights the need for regionally tailored security strategies focused on diverse entry points in critical infrastructure networks.
## Key Details
- Date: September 22, 2025
- Companies Involved: Kaspersky ICS CERT
- Category: Market Analysis & Prediction (Threat Landscape Report)
## The Story
The Q2 2025 report from Kaspersky ICS CERT on the threat landscape for Industrial Automation Systems (ICS) in the Americas reveals distinct regional security challenges. In South America, a substantial increase in threats originating from email clients suggests a vulnerability in user training, phishing resistance, or internal network access controls. Conversely, North America (specifically Canada) saw a pronounced rise in attacks originating directly from the public internet, pointing towards potentially exposed operational technology (OT) or IT/OT boundary systems being targeted.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **Kaspersky:** This report strengthens Kaspersky's position as a key intelligence provider, providing leverage for consulting, threat modeling, and specialized ICS security product sales tailored to these identified regional risks.
### For Competitors
- Competitors offering generalized security solutions may face challenges demonstrating relevance if they do not quickly adapt their regional analysis or product hardening recommendations to these specific vector concentrations.
### For Customers
- ICS/OT operators in South America must urgently prioritize email gateway security, user awareness training, and endpoint protection on workstations accessing industrial networks.
- Canadian ICS operators need immediate audits of external-facing attack surfaces, VPN configurations, and network segmentation between IT and OT environments.
### For the Market
- This data validates the necessity of geographical stratification in cyber defense budgeting, signaling that a one-size-fits-all security approach for the Americas is insufficient for protecting critical infrastructure.
## Technical Implications
The emphasis on email threats in South America suggests reliance on legacy protocols or higher rates of successful spear-phishing campaigns that bridge the gap to the ICS environment. The internet-based threat increase in Canada implies potential misconfigurations in remote access services (like RDP or insecure web interfaces) connected to manufacturing or utility control systems.
## Strategic Analysis
- **Market Positioning:** Kaspersky is positioning itself as an expert capable of granular, location-specific threat mapping, moving beyond generalized global threat summaries.
- **Competitive Advantage:** The specificity of this data allows security vendors to precisely tailor their ICS protection portfolios (e.g., specialized email sandboxing integrations vs. advanced external firewall/DMZ monitoring).
- **Challenges:** Convincing regional operational managers, particularly in highly price-sensitive South American sectors, to invest in immediate remedial training and filtering solutions based on these emerging vectors will be a hurdle.
## Industry Reactions
- **Analyst Opinions:** Analysts are likely viewing this as a confirmation standard maturity models often fail to account for when scaling across complex geographies. The difference underscores cultural and regulatory environments influencing user behavior and IT hygiene.
- **Market Response:** We can anticipate an uptick in demand for security consulting services focused on email hygiene (for South America) and secure remote access solutions (for Canada).
## Future Outlook
- If the trend holds, South American vendors may see new regulations or compliance mandates focused on internal user security controls.
- For Canada, surveillance of zero-day exploitation against internet-facing OT gateways will become a critical factor to monitor in Q3/Q4 2025.
## For Security Professionals
Practitioners must use this report to immediately review the efficacy of their existing email filtering rules and conduct urgent penetration testing against externally accessible network nodes, respectively, based on their operational region. Focus must shift from general patching to vector-specific hardening.