Dramatic cybercrime increase in Asia, South Pacific, says Interpol

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.