Cybercrime is taking hold in Asia and the South Pacific just as it has elsewhere in the world, with organized crime gangs exploiting the adoption of new technologies, according to Interpol.
The policing network said that cybercrime now accounts for 30% of crime in over half of the countries covered by its 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report.
The study, which is sponsored by the UK government, assessed cybercrime trends across 18 Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Island states.
It found that a third of the countries surveyed reported over 10,000 cases of online scams. These rely heavily on social engineering and impact individuals, enterprises, and governmental bodies, the report noted. Spear-phishing, smishing and AI-generated messages are becoming increasingly prevalent.
The second “most significant” cybercrime threat highlighted in the report was infostealers and banking trojans, followed by ransomware, deepfakes and misinformation, and business email compromise (BEC).
Read more on Asian cybercrime: 20,000 Asian IPs and Domains Dismantled in Infostealer Crackdown.
Interpol cited figures from TrendAI claiming that 6.5 billion cyber threats were detected and mitigated across the Asia and South Pacific region in 2024 alone – highlighting the scale of the cybercrime industry.
Other regional trends captured by the report include the following:
- Over 135,000 ransomware-related attacks were detected in 2024, affecting sectors including real estate, manufacturing and financial services
- Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks increased by 92% annually in 2024
- Discussions about deepfakes on cybercrime forums and Telegram channels popular among Southeast Asian threat actors increased by 600% from February to June 2024
- 5.5 out of every 1000 individuals in the region clicked on phishing links monthly, around twice the global average. Cloud applications were the main targets
- System intrusions accounted for around 80% of all data breaches in 2024, with malware and ransomware present in 83% and 51% of cases respectively
Digital Adoption Spurs Cybercrime
The surge in cyber threats is being driven in part by Southeast Asian scam centers, but also by the growing adoption of digital technologies and connectivity in the region, the report noted.
“This rapid expansion – combined with the widespread adoption of cloud computing, AI, mobile banking, and remote work – has not only accelerated digital transformation, but also made the region an attractive target for cybercriminals,” it explained.
“In addition, the speed of this transformation has exposed many organizations to critical security gaps, including limited cloud security safeguards, inadequate incident response readiness, and insufficient cross-border information sharing, creating opportunities for a cybercriminal ecosystem that is becoming increasingly complex and globally interconnected.”
As is the case in many regions of the world, some economies have relatively robust cybersecurity frameworks, meaning they are better equipped to handle the onslaught.
However, that’s not always the case. Half of the surveyed countries reported financial losses exceeding $10,000, with several losing $100m in the reporting period.
“Overall, the findings from the survey reflect an urgent need for strengthened cross-border collaboration, improved intelligence sharing, and comprehensive capacity-building initiatives,” Interpol argued.
More positively, most of the surveyed countries have launched public awareness campaigns and programs to train law enforcement personnel. Two-thirds have also adopted AI tools and systems for predictive analysis, digital forensics and threat detection, Interpol said.
