Singapore is grappling with an alarming increase in cyberattacks, with Kaspersky’s latest research revealing that its solutions intercepted 6.49 million attacks from various online sources in 2024. The report highlights a significant rise in exploit-based attacks, password stealers, and backdoor intrusions, with figures continuing to escalate into 2025.
Across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, incident response requests more than doubled, rising from 3.6% to 7.3%. Kaspersky blocked over 62 million attacks, including 16.6 million backdoor attacks and 219,000 involving banking malware. Notably, the region accounted for over 8 million ransomware attacks, representing 55% of the global total.
The sophistication of cyberthreats is increasing, driven by technological advancements. In 2024, 467,000 new malicious samples were detected daily, a stark contrast to one new threat per second in 2011. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has facilitated cybercrime, enabling attackers to craft convincing phishing attacks and automate malicious activities. AI-powered ransomware groups, such as FunkSec, have emerged, targeting sectors like government, technology, finance, and education.
Igor Kuznetsov, Director of the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky, stated, “We’re witnessing persistent increases in the volume of cyberattacks both in Singapore and regionally. These attacks are getting stealthier and less predictable, as cybercriminals leverage AI to enhance and invent new ways of executing their malicious campaigns.”
To combat these threats, Kaspersky recommends limiting the sharing of sensitive information online, verifying unsolicited communications, scrutinising for deepfakes, installing apps from official stores, downloading reliable security solutions, and enabling safe browsing features. As cyberthreats continue to evolve, individuals and organisations must bolster their cybersecurity defences to prevent significant data and financial losses.
