Spain alerts about spyware and fraud increase

Cybercrime continues to evolve with the support of technologies such as artificial intelligence, leading to a marked increase in spyware and other online fraud. A recent global analysis revealed that Spain experienced a 96% increase in spyware risk during the first quarter of 2025, placing it as the country with the highest increase worldwide, followed by Turkey with 84%.

Although the report focused on Europe, its results serve as a reference for Mexico, where the growing use of mobile devices and accelerated digitalization require greater cybersecurity prevention measures.

Deepfakes and digital scams: this is how users are deceived

One of the most alarming methods is the so-called self-scam, a tactic where people, manipulated by visual or auditory deceptions, unknowingly install malicious software.

More than 4 million users were protected from this type of attack, according to the report.

One of the most common ways is through fake browser updates, which registered an increase of 1,711%. These fake updates pretend to be legitimate, but introduce malware on devices. Spain is the sixth most affected country by this tactic, behind Belgium, Poland, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Increase of spyware also affects financial security

The report also details how financial threats are moving to cell phones. Malware such as banking Trojans use accessibility features to overlay fake screens that mimic real apps, stealing personal data and financial credentials.

A case in point is the Crocodilus Trojan, which allows attackers to capture everything the user types, including keys to cryptocurrency wallets. Its greatest activity has been detected in Spain and Turkey.

In parallel, a 40% increase was reported in the use of coinminers, programs that use the processing power of other people's devices to mine cryptocurrencies without consent. Argentina saw the largest increase, with 44.14%, followed by France (17.41%) and Spain (17.25%).

Phishing, the fastest growing scam in 2025

Between January and March 2025, phishing reports increased by 466% compared to the previous quarter. This form of deception already accounts for 32% of all reports registered by detection systems. Generic scams, meanwhile, accounted for 51% of the total.

These phishing campaigns use trusted domains or free platforms to create sites that mimic official pages.

Often, they induce urgency in the user through e-mails alerting about supposed account problems or requests to view urgent documents. Although some messages contain grammatical errors, the use of legitimate subdomains allows them to evade security filters and have high levels of success.

Mexico must act on global spyware surge

The rise of spyware and the diversification of digital threats in Europe should serve as a warning to Mexico. The sophistication of scams, the use of artificial intelligence and the focus on mobile devices demand a stronger response from all sectors: government, businesses and users.

Strengthening digital education, implementing data protection policies and using updated cybersecurity solutions are key steps to prevent these global trends from affecting the Mexican environment with the same intensity.

At Cyberpeace, we invite you to stay alert to the increase of spyware and other digital threats that evolve every day. Being informed is the first step to protect your devices, your information and your identity. Do you want to learn more about how to prevent online fraud and strengthen your digital security? Follow us on networks and be part of a cybersecure community.

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