TechTouch Asia

Asia-Pacific was the third most-targeted geography in 2023, accounting for 23% of all cybersecurity incidents, according to IBM’s 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index . IBM X-Force is IBM Consulting’s offensive and defensive security services arm.  Phishing (36%) and exploitation of public-facing applications (35%) were the most common initial access vectors observed in the region. The study also found that cybercriminals saw more opportunities to "log in" instead of hacking into corporate networks through valid accounts – making this tactic a preferred weapon of choice for threat actors. “‘AI-engineered attacks’ are receiving more attention due to the rise of generative AI in the current landscape, but the biggest security threat in Asia Pacific remains known unpatched vulnerabilities. Additional focus should also be placed on the region’s critical infrastructure and key industries such as manufacturing, finance and insurance, and transportation, with stress tests and we...

FS-ISAC, the member-driven, not-for-profit organisation that advances cybersecurity and resilience in the global financial system, and Akamai Technologies, the cloud company that powers and protects life online, have released new research on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks threatening the financial services sector and its customers. The report, DDoS: Here to Stay , revealed that over one-third (35%) of all DDoS attacks in 2023 globally were aimed at the wider financial services industry, which has surpassed the gaming sector as the most-attacked vertical worldwide.  Source: Akamai's DDoS: Here to Stay , produced in conjunction with FS-ISAC. Sectors targeted by DDoS in APAC.   The financial services sector was the most targeted sector in the AMER and EMEA regions, and the third-most attacked sector in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), after commerce and gaming. Of all DDoS attacks in APAC that targeted financial services, 91% focused on banking, compared to 63% gl...