Heaptalk, Jakarta — Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky revealed that Indonesia and Thailand have become prime targets for cybercriminals conducting financial phishing attacks.
“The high number of financial phishing attempts we detected on business devices in Indonesia and Thailand is deeply concerning. This region has become a hotspot for cybercriminals due to its rapidly growing digital economy, which is projected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030. It is clear that cybercriminals are exploiting the rapid digital adoption in this region, and businesses must remain vigilant. Fortunately, we have successfully prevented these cyberattacks, ensuring that banking institutions and other companies in Indonesia and Thailand remain safe from harm,” said Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager of Kaspersky for Southeast Asia.
Yeo Siang Tiong also highlighted that in 2024 alone, Kaspersky intercepted and thwarted 534,759 financial phishing attacks targeting Southeast Asian businesses, ranging from small enterprises to large corporations. These figures represent instances where users clicked on financial phishing links distributed through various platforms, such as emails, fake websites, messaging apps, and social media networks.
“Thailand recorded the highest number of attacks at 247,560, while Indonesia ranked second with 85,908 incidents,” Yeo stated.
Yeo advised businesses and banking institutions in these two Southeast Asian countries to take proactive measures to prevent such attacks. He recommended the following steps:
- Open emails and click on links only if you are confident about the sender’s authenticity.
- If the sender appears legitimate but the content seems suspicious, verify the sender through alternative communication channels.
- If you suspect a phishing page, carefully check the spelling of website URLs. Phishing URLs often contain subtle errors, such as replacing the letter “I” with the number “1” or the letter “O” with the number “0.”
- Use reliable security solutions when browsing the web. These tools, equipped with access to global threat intelligence, can effectively detect and block spam and phishing attempts.
The rise in financial phishing attacks underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures as digital adoption accelerates across Southeast Asia. Businesses and individuals must remain cautious and adopt best practices to safeguard their sensitive information from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
