Report: PHL entities faced 1.5M cyber threats in 2023

THE Philippines tallied the fifth highest number of local threats in Southeast Asia, according to the latest report from Kaspersky.

Kaspersky noted that the Philippines faced approximately 1.5 million local threats targeting organizations in 2023. Vietnam had the most number of threats recorded at 17.1 million, followed by Indonesia at 16.4 million, Thailand at 4.7 million, and Malaysia at 2.5 million.

Singapore had the least number of local incidents at only 500,000.

In total, Southeast Asia logged 43 million threats in 2023. According to Kaspersky Director for Asia Pacific Adrian Hia, these figures underscore the pervasive nature of cyber threats faced by organizations in the region.

Local infections, which include malware and other malicious software penetrating user computers through various means, pose a significant risk to businesses, highlighting the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures.

“Southeast Asia shows a solid potential to become a major manufacturing hub globally. The region is also consistent in charting steady digital economic growth through the years. To be able to continue these feats, organizations, whether operating on IT or OT systems, should build their cyber defenses against sophisticated attacks that use the same old techniques and tactics,” he said.

Hia noted that while global threats have surged in recent years, Southeast Asian countries have witnessed a marginal decline in local threats, except for Singapore, which experienced a concerning 67 percent yearon-year increase.

Protecting against local attacks necessitates a multifaceted approach, Hia said, and it encompasses robust security solutions, firewalls, anti-rootkit functionality, and stringent control over removable devices.

He said Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business offers organizations comprehensive protection, including the ability to scan removable drives for malware.

Moreover, Hia said Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform (KUMA) provides an integrated software solution for monitoring and managing information security incidents. “Serving as a unified console for incident analysis and log management, KUMA empowers organizations to mitigate cyber threats effectively.”