AI-driven cyberattacks outpace APAC government defenses

Automation is accelerating threats as a 56% talent gap strains security teams.

Cyber-attacks across Asia-Pacific are becoming faster, cheaper, and more automated, driven by generative AI and industrialised cybercrime models, just as governments struggle with a 56% cybersecurity workforce shortfall. Experts warn the imbalance between attacker capability and public-sector defence is widening rapidly.

According to Dr Peter Finn, Generative AI & Cybersecurity Instructor at Vertical Institute, these tools amplify long-standing weaknesses, including “vulnerabilities in the form of basic security gaps, outdated systems, unpatched software,” that attackers once needed far more time to uncover.

Automation has also changed attacker economics. Finn said it now allows hackers to “effectively target a lot of other types of systems and in victims that would not normally be targeted because they were not considered to be worth necessarily the time and the effort,” dramatically expanding the pool of viable targets.

Cybercrime has also become a service-based industry, said Anthony Wong, Vice President, Secure Digital Operations, APAC at Rockwell Automation. As a result, “the barrier to entry is much lower,” enabling attackers to launch campaigns at speed and scale without advanced skills.

At the same time, governments are increasing their exposure through digital transformation. Wong noted that organisations are “connecting more of the enterprise systems to their physical assets like machines and fleets, which is really increasing that attack surface area.” Many operational technology systems were designed decades ago and are now being linked to IT networks, creating new vulnerabilities attackers can exploit.

Angela Zhao, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, mentioned that AI generates extremely convincing phishing emails that mimic a colleague's style and reference specific online details, this increases both speeds and success rates of social engineering campaigns.

Looking ahead to 2026, Zhao said governments must prepare for “machine speed attacks that overwhelm human pace defense.” She warned of rising AI-native threats, including deepfake manipulation and adversarial prompting that can compromise AI systems and cause operational errors. Software supply chain risk and geopolitics-driven disruption are also growing concerns as governments build sovereign AI infrastructure that creates high-value cyber targets.

Ransomware remains a persistent threat. Zhao said activity has increased “about 40 to 50% year on year,” with actors expected to further weaponise AI. Finn added that attacks on critical infrastructure, from energy grids to healthcare systems, have intensified amidst geopolitical conflict, while “ransomware phishing attacks continue to evolve.”

Closing the talent gap is now critical. Wong said governments can expand capacity by retraining staff with IT, engineering, or policy backgrounds through targeted programmes and partnerships with industry and academia. Finn stressed the need for hands-on training and simulations, arguing that “cyber security is not just something that you want to leave to a group of highly trained professionals,” but a set of skills that must be widely embedded to keep pace with AI-driven threats.