Al misuse driving surge in cyber threats across Asia Pacific, experts warn

Global cybersecurity and digital experts raised urgent concerns over the growing misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in cyberattacks across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, unveiling new threat data and defensive strategies at the Cyber Insights 2025 forum held in Seoul.

- 

According to researchers, 2024 saw more than 3 billion malware attacks globally, with an average of 467,000 malicious files detected daily. Windows systems were the most frequently targeted, while Trojan detections spiked by 33% year-over-year.

Financial cybercrime also saw a sharp rise, with a twofold increase in mobile financial threat victims and a surge in phishing attacks targeting cryptocurrency users. Fake apps, including counterfeit VPNs, spread widely, alongside threats specifically targeting gamers and children.

Alarmingly, 45% of passwords could be cracked in under a minute, experts warned.