SINGAPORE – INTERPOL’s 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report has revealed a dramatic increase in cybercrime across the region driven by rapid digitalization, new technologies and increasingly organized criminal networks.
The report, covering the period from January 2024 to March 2025, found that more than half of the countries surveyed reported cybercrime now accounting for 30 per cent of all crimes recorded nationally.
Cyber-scam techniques such as phishing have emerged as the most widespread and financially damaging form of cybercrime, with 33 per cent of countries reporting over 10,000 cases.
Neal Jetton, INTERPOL Cybercrime Director, said:
“The findings in this report highlight a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape across Asia and the South Pacific, where cybercriminals are leveraging artificial intelligence, ransomware-as-a-service models and sophisticated social engineering techniques on an industrial scale.
“As digital adoption accelerates across the region, strengthening operational cooperation, information sharing and cyber resilience remains essential to protecting communities and critical infrastructure.”
Emerging cyberthreats in Asia and the South Pacific
Cybercriminal activity across the region has intensified alongside unprecedented growth in Internet connectivity, mobile banking, cloud computing and digital financial services.
Key trends highlighted in the report include:
• Ransomware: The region recorded over 135,000 ransomware-related attacks in 2024, affecting sectors including real estate, manufacturing and financial services.
• DDoS Attacks: Distributed denial of service attacks surged by 92 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year.
• AI-Driven Crime: Discussions about deepfakes on cybercriminal forums and Telegram channels popular among Southeast Asian threat actors increased by 600 per cent from February to June 2024.
• Phishing: 5.5 out of every 1,000 individuals in the region clicked on phishing links monthly – approximately twice the global average - with cloud applications the primary targets.
• Data Breaches: System intrusions accounted for approximately 80 per cent of all data breaches in 2024 with malware and ransomware present in 83 per cent and 51 per cent of cases respectively.
Between January and December 2024, more than 6.5 billion cyber threats were detected and mitigated across the Asia and South Pacific region, according to data provided by TrendAI – one of several private sector partners working with INTERPOL’s cybercrime directorate.
Law enforcement challenges
Law enforcement agencies across the region continue to face significant operational and technical challenges, with the survey highlighting gaps in specialized forensic tools, limited access to targeted cybercrime training and insufficient technical capacity.
The report also highlights disparities in cybersecurity maturity across the region. While some countries have comparatively advanced cybersecurity frameworks and institutional capabilities, many developing countries and small island states continue to face significant resource and capacity constraints.
Jurisdictions with fragmented enforcement structures, limited technical capabilities and weaker legislation remain particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
Enhancing cybercrime responses
Despite the challenges faced, most member countries surveyed reported taking proactive steps including public awareness campaigns and upskilling of law enforcement personnel. In addition, 66.7 per cent have adopted AI tools and systems for predictive analysis, digital forensics and threat detection.
Several member countries are also strengthening national cybercrime legislation and investing in cybercrime response capabilities, digital forensics infrastructure and specialized law enforcement units to address increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
To further strengthen the region’s cybercrime response capabilities, the report proposes a number of measures including improving cloud security, educating users about emerging threats, strengthening responses to cyber incidents, and improving real-time intelligence sharing. The report also emphasizes a whole-of-society approach involving law enforcement, governments, industry and civil society working together to detect, disrupt and deter cybercriminal activity across borders.
INTERPOL’s Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment was prepared through the Asia and South Pacific Joint Operations against Cybercrime (ASPJOC) project, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
The report draws on information provided by 18 INTERPOL member countries across the Asia and South Pacific region, as well as contributions from private sector partners, operational case studies and analysis of emerging cyber threats. It is one of several regional cyberthreat assessments produced by INTERPOL, including reports covering Africa.
Download INTERPOL’s 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report below.
