Tech

Kaspersky Warns of Rising Password Stealer Threats Across Southeast Asia

Kaspersky reported an 18% increase in password stealer attacks targeting Southeast Asian businesses, exposing growing cybersecurity risks as cybercriminals exploit weak credentials to infiltrate corporate networks.

Kaspersky Warning

Password stealers are emerging as one of the most significant cybersecurity threats facing businesses across Southeast Asia, according to Kaspersky. The cybersecurity firm reported an 18% increase in password stealer attacks targeting its business users in the region, highlighting the growing use of stolen credentials as an entry point into corporate networks.

During 2025, Kaspersky detected and blocked more than one million password stealer attacks within business environments across Southeast Asia. These malicious programs are designed to harvest passwords, browser-stored credentials, cookies, cryptocurrency wallet information, and other sensitive data that can be used for financial theft, identity fraud, extortion, and further cyberattacks.

The Philippines recorded the highest growth in password stealer incidents at 41%, followed by Malaysia at 33%, Singapore at 25%, Vietnam at 21%, and Indonesia at 7%. Thailand was the only market to register a decline, with attacks falling by 21%.

Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, warned that compromised credentials remain a major security weakness. The company’s analysis of 193 million compromised passwords found that 45% could be cracked within one minute, while only 23% were strong enough to resist attacks for more than a year.

Kaspersky recommends stronger password practices, password managers, multi-factor authentication, employee training, and advanced security solutions to strengthen organisational cyber resilience.