Cybercrime Spikes Across APAC Amid Digital Growth

Cybercrime is rapidly escalating across Asia and the South Pacific, with organized crime syndicates capitalizing on the region’s accelerating adoption of digital technologies, according to a new report from Interpol. The international policing body now estimates that cybercrime accounts for 30% of all crime in more than half of the countries covered by its 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report.

The study, funded by the UK government, analyzed cybercrime trends across 18 nations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. A striking finding reveals that one-third of surveyed countries reported over 10,000 online scam cases. These scams heavily rely on social engineering tactics and affect individuals, businesses, and government agencies alike. The report highlights a growing prevalence of spear-phishing, smishing, and AI-generated messages designed to deceive victims.

Following online scams, the second most critical cyber threat identified was infostealers and banking trojans. Other major threats include ransomware, deepfakes and misinformation, and business email compromise (BEC). Interpol cited data from TrendAI showing that 6.5 billion cyber threats were detected and neutralized across the Asia-Pacific region in 2024 alone, underscoring the sheer scale of the problem.

Additional regional trends paint a stark picture. Over 135,000 ransomware attacks were detected in 2024, hitting sectors such as real estate, manufacturing, and financial services. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks surged by 92% year-over-year. Meanwhile, discussions about deepfakes on cybercrime forums and Telegram channels popular among Southeast Asian threat actors skyrocketed by 600% between February and June 2024. On average, 5.5 out of every 1,000 individuals in the region clicked on phishing links monthly, roughly double the global average, with cloud applications as the primary targets. System intrusions were responsible for about 80% of all data breaches, with malware and ransomware present in 83% and 51% of cases, respectively.

The report attributes this surge to a combination of factors, including the rise of Southeast Asian scam centers and the broader digital transformation sweeping the region. “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,” the report explains. It warns that the speed of change has exposed many organizations to critical security gaps, such as limited cloud safeguards, inadequate incident response capabilities, and insufficient cross-border information sharing, fueling an increasingly complex and globally interconnected cybercriminal ecosystem.

While some economies in the region boast relatively robust cybersecurity frameworks, others lag behind. Half of the surveyed countries reported financial losses exceeding $10,000, with several losing $100 million or more during the reporting period. Interpol argues that the findings underscore “an urgent need for strengthened cross-border collaboration, improved intelligence sharing, and comprehensive capacity-building initiatives.”

On a positive note, most 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, signaling a proactive shift in combating the growing wave of cybercrime.