[PRESS RELEASE] CISOs & IT Leaders Prioritising Greater Security Program Investment in 2025,ASEAN Innovation Business Platform Report Reveals
SINGAPORE - March 6, 2025 - According to the ASEAN Innovation Business Platform (AIBP)’s Cybersecurity in ASEAN report, conducted by AIBP and sponsored by CrowdStrike, digital transformation and security is the leading priority for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and senior IT executives over the next two years.
The report’s findings reveal that ASEAN organisations are rapidly embracing digital transformation, with 58% of respondents introducing new digital initiatives in 2024. As organisations embrace this digital shift, they are also strengthening their security programs.
Demonstrating the reality that digital transformation and technology adoption can expand attack surfaces and increase cybersecurity risk, nearly half of respondents (46%) plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets in 2025. However, budget constraints remain a challenge, as 6% of respondents said their organisation currently allocates 15% or more of their IT budgets to cybersecurity, despite 26% saying this level of investment is necessary.
Key findings of the Cybersecurity in ASEAN report include:
Integrating Security into Digital Transformation: 45% of organisations aim to embed cybersecurity measures into digital initiatives to mitigate cyber risks.
Intention to Increase Budgets: 46% plan to increase cybersecurity spending in 2025.
Respondents’ Leading Cybersecurity Challenges:
Phishing Attacks and Social Engineering: 43%
Malware and Ransomware Attacks: 37%
Shortage of Cybersecurity Talent: 37%
Protecting User Data and Privacy: 29%
Legacy Systems and Outdated Technology: 28%
Increased Intelligence and Awareness: 40% are prioritising proactive threat detection and awareness to reduce vulnerabilities.
Stronger Cloud Security and Infrastructure Protection: 39% are focusing on safeguarding cloud environments against attacks.
Enhanced Detection and Response Capabilities: 36% are adopting next-generation Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions to respond to evolving cyber threats.
AI an Advancing Threat:
The rapid adoption of AI is introducing new security challenges, at the same time, adversaries are increasingly targeting the data, applications and AI workloads that power these technologies. As a result, organisations are prioritising AI governance frameworks and investing in AI-driven security capabilities to defend against evolving threats.
As ASEAN’s digital transformation and adoption of AI evolves, organisations need to remain vigilant to ensure visibility and protection across their entire attack surface. This will require closer alignment between security and IT across their operations, budgets and skillsets, alongside the adoption of AI-driven platform technology that closes the gaps within their digital ecosystems.
“Cyber adversaries are evolving fast, launching more agile and targeted attacks that exploit gaps across endpoints, identities and cloud environments. At the same time, the rapid adoption of AI, especially generative AI, is creating new opportunities for attackers,” said Fabio Fratucello, International CTO, CrowdStrike. “To stop modern threats, drive secure innovation, and maximise security investments, organisations need an AI-driven platform approach. Consolidating disjointed tools and unifying visibility across the entire attack surface is critical to staying ahead of today’s adversaries.”
For the full report and detailed insights, please visit our website.
Methodology
The Cybersecurity in ASEAN: Navigating the Evolving Threat Landscape report is developed from insights shared through a survey of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and senior IT executives across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Data was collected through an online survey complemented by 40 in-depth interviews, which provided qualitative perspectives on the cybersecurity challenges and opportunities faced by organisations in the ASEAN region.
The findings offer a detailed snapshot of the current state of cybersecurity in ASEAN and serve as a practical resource for organisations to refine their strategies and optimise budget allocation to address evolving cyber risks.
About ASEAN Innovation Business Platform (AIBP)
AIBP serves as an avenue for public and private organisations in Southeast Asia to access information about enterprise growth and innovation. With a current network of over 30,000 stakeholders in Southeast Asia, AIBP continues to develop ecosystems by engaging in activities which create value-adding information for our stakeholders seeking to make transformative impacts within their organisations. For additional information about AIBP, please visit www.aibp.sg
