Interpol flags rising cyber threats straining law enforcement capacity in the region

According to Interpol’s regional threat assessment, the share of recorded crime attributed to cybercrime exceeds 30 percent in over half of the surveyed countries in Asia and the South Pacific.

Between January 2024 to March 2025, phishing and other online scams were the region’s most widespread and financially damaging cyber threats, while ransomware, DDoS attacks, data breaches, and AI-enabled crime kept growing fast.

Many law enforcement agencies still lack forensic tools, specialized training, and technical capacity which leaves developing countries and small island states especially exposed.

Meanwhile, more than 135,000 ransomware-related attacks were recorded in 2024. DDoS attacks rose by 92 percent from the previous year, and discussions of deepfakes on cybercriminal forums and Telegram channels used by Southeast Asian threat actors jumped by 600 percent between February and June 2024.