CONSUMERS in Asia-Pacific reported higher levels of digital activity and awareness of cybercrime risks than their global counterparts, according to a Kaspersky survey whose results were announced during the company’s APAC Cyber Security Weekend in Guangzhou, China.
The B2C Pulse Survey conducted by Kaspersky Market Intelligence found that APAC consumers exceeded global averages in online shopping, digital finance, digital entertainment and digital communication.
Online shopping was reported by 80 percent of APAC consumers, compared with 71 percent globally. Digital finance use stood at 72 percent, compared with 70 percent globally, while digital entertainment reached 70 percent, compared with 62 percent. Digital communication was at 68 percent in APAC, against 61 percent globally.
The survey also found that 35 percent of APAC consumers were concerned about the use of digital technology for crime, compared with 32 percent globally.
Thailand recorded the highest level of concern at 39 percent, followed by Malaysia at 38 percent, Indonesia at 35 percent, China at 34 percent, India at 32 percent and Vietnam at 31 percent.
“When 77 percent of APAC is online and digital wallets accounting for roughly 70 percent of online payments, cybersecurity is no longer optional. The region expects 2.11 billion mobile subscribers by 2030, which makes protecting personal data and financial transactions critical to sustaining trust in the region’s thriving digital economy,” Choon Hong Chee, Kaspersky’s head of consumer channel for APAC, said.
Kaspersky also reported blocking nearly 30,000 mobile attacks against consumers in APAC during the first three months of 2026.
India and Indonesia recorded the highest numbers of mobile attacks, with 18,187 and 15,163 incidents, respectively.
Kaspersky telemetry showed year-on-year increases in mobile threats in Taiwan, 373 percent; Sri Lanka, 132 percent; Thailand, 127 percent; Bangladesh, 108 percent; China, 69 percent; and the Philippines, 28 percent.
“The rapid rise in mobile attacks across multiple APAC markets is a reflection of how quickly the region’s digital habits are changing,” Chee said.
He said mobile phones were increasingly becoming gateways to financial, social and professional activities, while often lacking the same level of security protection as personal computers.
Kaspersky said organizations could integrate security into mobile applications through tools such as its Mobile Security SDK, which includes anti-phishing and malware detection, secure connectivity, device reputation checks and data protection.
The company also offers its Who Calls SDK for caller identification and reputation information, as well as Safe Web, a network-based security solution that uses DNS filtering to identify potentially dangerous websites.
