Countries across Asia and the South Pacific have registered a marked increase in cybercrime, and cybercrime made up 30% of all crime in over half of the countries in the region, according to a new report by INTERPOL, the global policing agency.
The 32-page "INTERPOL Asia and South Pacific Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2025-2026" released on 17 June 2026 found that there were more than 135,000 ransomware-related attacks across the region in 2024, affecting real estate, manufacturing and financial services, while the number of distributed denial-of-service attacks rose by 92% as compared to the incidents recorded in 2023.
The number of discussions about deepfakes on cybercriminal forums and Telegram channels popular among southeast Asian threat actors rocketed by 600% from February to June 2024.
Of the 18 member countries in Asia and South Pacific participating in the survey, more than half said that cybercrime made up 30% of all crimes recorded nationally. Scam techniques such as phishing were the most widespread and financially damaging forms, with 33% of the countries reporting more than 10,000 cases.
System intrusions accounted for around 80% of all data breaches in 2024, with malware and ransomware present in 83% and 51% of cases respectively. Between January and December 2024, more than 6.5bn cyber threats were detected and mitigated across the region according to data provided by TrendAI, a private-sector partner working with INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate.
INTERPOL cybercrime director Neal Jetton said, “The findings in this report highlight a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape across Asia and the South Pacific, where cybercriminals are leveraging AI, 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.”
The report reveals that law enforcement agencies across the region continue to face significant operational and technical challenges, with the survey highlighting gaps in specialised 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.
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% 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.