Cyberattacks on the Rise in Southeast Asia: Indonesia Vulnerable
Cybersecurity threats have surged in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia being particularly vulnerable to identity-based attacks, according to a recent report. As the largest economy in the region, Indonesia has witnessed substantial growth in its digital industry, reaching a value of $77 billion in 2022. However, this growth has also made the country an attractive target for cybercriminals due to the vast amount of personal and business data available.
The report highlights that the technology, telecommunications, retail, financial, and manufacturing sectors are the top five verticals targeted by cyber intrusions in Asia Pacific and Japan. These sectors often have access to consumer data, making the risk extend beyond businesses to the general public. In fact, there has been an alarming 40% increase year over year in interactive intrusions globally, particularly against the financial sector.
What’s even more concerning is that 71% of these interactive intrusions are malware-free, adding to the challenge of defending against cyberattacks. Adversaries are leveraging legitimate access to company infrastructures as an entry point for more malicious activities like data theft and ransomware attacks.
One of the most prevalent identity-related attack trends observed in 2023 is the 583% increase in Kerberoasting attacks. This technique allows adversaries to obtain valid credentials for Microsoft Active Directory service accounts, which are often high-value targets due to their elevated privileges. Kerberoasting attacks are notoriously difficult to detect, further contributing to their popularity among cybercriminals.
Another concerning trend is the 147% increase in access broker advertisements on the dark web. These ads offer compromised credentials for sale, allowing adversaries to bypass traditional vulnerability exploits and gain unauthorized access to organizations. As a result, 62% of all interactive intrusions involve the abuse of valid accounts, with 34% specifically targeting domain accounts or default accounts.
To counter these identity-related threats, organizations must adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Identity threat hunting, which involves monitoring and detecting compromised user accounts and analyzing user behavior and authentication data, can help identify and mitigate potential intrusions.
In addition, businesses need to prioritize identity threat protection to safeguard against credential and identity-based attacks. With this attack vector becoming a growing concern, failure to prepare against such threats can lead to reputational damage, financial losses, and decreased productivity.
In conclusion, cybersecurity threats are on the rise in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia. Businesses must be proactive in implementing effective security measures to protect against identity-based attacks. By staying vigilant and constantly monitoring and analyzing user behaviors and access controls, organizations can mitigate the risks posed by cybercriminals.
