APAC Under Siege: Key Cybersecurity Lessons from the 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Report

Cyberattacks across Asia-Pacific (APAC) are rising faster than ever. According to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2025, over one-third of all global cyberattacks in 2024 targeted the APAC region—revealing a deeply concerning pattern. From ransomware in manufacturing to credential theft and remote access exploitation, the cyber threat landscape in APAC is evolving rapidly.

As digital transformation accelerates across industries, organizations must move from reactive defense to proactive threat prevention—especially in high-risk verticals like manufacturing, finance, and logistics.

This article unpacks the key findings from the 2025 X-Force report and outlines actionable strategies for businesses looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture in the region.

Top Cyber Threats Affecting APAC in 2025

1. Manufacturing Is the Prime Target

40% of all cyberattacks in APAC were directed at the manufacturing sector—making it the region’s most targeted industry by a wide margin.

• Legacy infrastructure and low cyber maturity in industrial systems make them vulnerable.
• Ransomware actors are targeting operational technology (OT) environments to pressure companies into fast payments.
• Finance (16%) and transportation (11%) are the next most-targeted sectors.

The increasing convergence of IT and OT means that once-isolated systems are now attack vectors—especially when paired with slow patch cycles.

2. Ransomware Still Dominates the Threat Landscape

Despite law enforcement pressure on ransomware gangs, ransomware remains the most common attack outcome in APAC.

Why? Because it’s still profitable—and many businesses remain unprepared.

• Detection delays are allowing attackers to encrypt or exfiltrate before response teams act.
• Repeat targeting is common, especially when ransom payments are made.
• Decentralized ransomware models (post-Wizard Spider, QakBot takedowns) are harder to trace and dismantle.

3. Weak Entry Points Enable Breaches

External remote services accounted for 45% of all initial access vectors.

This includes:

• Unsecured VPNs
• Misconfigured firewalls
• Exposed APIs
• Weak MFA or none at all

In addition, 18% of attacks leveraged known vulnerabilities, often exploiting delayed patch cycles or forgotten systems.

4. Identity-Based Attacks and Credential Theft Are Exploding

Phishing and info-stealing malware have reached new highs in APAC:

• Infostealer attacks rose 180% YoY, driven by phishing campaigns and malware-as-a-service kits.
• Credential theft is now easier, faster, and more scalable than ever before.
• MFA bypass techniques are on the rise—often using social engineering or token hijacking.

This shift is reducing attacker overhead while increasing success rates, making identity-based attacks the new standard.

5. Linux and AI Environments Are Now Prime Targets

Cybercriminals are expanding their focus beyond Windows.

• Over 50% of Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems had at least one unpatched critical vulnerability.
• Top ransomware groups (e.g., LockBit, RansomHub) are now targeting both Linux and Windows ecosystems.
• Meanwhile, AI agent frameworks have shown early signs of remote code execution vulnerabilities, signaling the next frontier of exploitation.

Organizations leveraging AI for automation and analytics must begin securing AI pipelines with the same rigor as any production system.

What APAC Organizations Must Do Now

1. Modernize Authentication Practices

Don’t rely on outdated MFA methods. Use phishing-resistant MFA and ensure it's enforced across all cloud apps, VPNs, and internal systems.

2. Invest in Real-Time Threat Detection

Adopt solutions that enable real-time threat hunting and behavioral analytics. Time-to-detection is the difference between containment and crisis.

3. Improve Patch Management & Visibility

Track every asset, vulnerability, and endpoint across your environment. Pair CVE intelligence with dark web monitoring to stay ahead of exploits.

4. Harden Remote Services

Secure all externally facing infrastructure. Validate VPN configurations, firewall rules, and access control policies—most breaches still start here.

5. Prepare for Linux and AI-Specific Threats

Ensure Linux servers, containers, and AI systems are integrated into your broader risk management and vulnerability scanning program.

Final Takeaway: Prevention Starts with Visibility and Speed

The 2025 X-Force Report is not just a warning—it’s a blueprint. It highlights how ransomware remains a high-impact threat, how identity is the new perimeter, and why legacy systems across APAC are still being exploited at scale.

To protect the future, businesses must rethink cybersecurity fundamentals—visibility, authentication, detection speed, and patch discipline.

Stay Ahead with Peris.ai Cybersecurity

At Peris.ai, we help APAC organizations detect evolving threats, secure vulnerable infrastructure, and train teams to respond before damage is done. Whether you need visibility into credential theft, real-time threat detection, or ransomware containment strategies—our cybersecurity solutions are built for scale, speed, and precision.

👉 Visit peris.ai to explore threat intelligence insights, AI-secure solutions, and endpoint-to-cloud protection strategies designed for today’s APAC cyber challenges.