Dramatic Cybercrime Increase In Asia, South Pacific, Says Interpol

Christina Persico

Interpol says there has been a
dramatic increase in cybercrime across Asia and the South
Pacific.

An Interpol report released on 17 June found
more than half of the countries surveyed reported that
cybercrime now accounted for at least 30 per cent of all
crimes nationally.

Half of the surveyed countries
reported financial losses exceeding US$10,000, with several
indicating losses of over US$100 million.

In 2024,
more than 6.5 billion cyber threats were detected and
mitigated across the Asia and South Pacific region,
according to data provided to Interpol by TrendAI.

The
report said criminal groups are taking advantage of what it
called the region’s “uneven cybersecurity
landscape”.

“While the most developed digital
economies have comparatively robust cybersecurity frameworks
and are better equipped to handle cyberattacks, others –
including many small island states and developing countries
in the Pacific – face severe obstacles in terms of
institutional preparedness, technical know-how, and
resources.

“These disparities make them highly
vulnerable, both to direct targeting and to being used as
gateways for further malicious
activity.

“Jurisdictions with less robust legislation,
fragmented enforcement, and limited technical capacity are
particularly attractive

to threat actors, who often
operate with a low likelihood of being identified or
prosecuted.”

The report said the Asia and South
Pacific Joint Operations against Cybercrime (ASPJOC)
identified the five most prevalent infostealer ‘families’ in
the Asia and South Pacific region.

These included
RedLine – also called Redline infostealer, Trojan.Redline,
Stealer.Redline, and RedStealer – a malware that targets
login

credentials, browser data, cryptocurrency
wallets, and system information.

It spreads through
phishing e-mails, malicious ads, and cracked software, and
target countries included the Phillipines, Fiji, Kiribati,
and Timor-Leste.

Another is LummaC2, regarded as the
world’s largest infostealer, which primarily targets crypto
wallets and two-factor-authentification browser extensions,
then steals other sensitive data.

It’s also known as
LummaStealer or LummaC, and targets countries including
China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The report also
noted most member countries surveyed said they were taking
proactive steps against cybercrime; and it made
recommendations including improving cloud security and
educating users about emerging threats.

Interpol also
noted its ASPJOC project, which aims to boost the
capabilities of Asian and South Pacific national law
enforcement agencies in combating cybercrime.

The
project’s first phase wrapped up in July 2025. Funded by the
United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development
Office, it focused on member countries including Fiji,
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Timor-

Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu, as
well as multiple Asian
nations.

© Scoop Media