Cyberattacks surging across Indo-Pacific, researchers warn

China and other nation-states are unleashing cyberattacks across the Indo-Pacific as Beijing, North Korea and their proxies use digital operations to expand influence and reshape regional norms.

Cybersecurity analysts from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines said Monday that regional governments are rushing to strengthen defenses while China probes cyber vulnerabilities amid a growing rift with the United States. Cyberattacks have surged 300% since 2023, with threat actors using artificial intelligence to deploy deepfakes and influence operations, said Sherin Ona, associate professor at De La Salle University.

“Most of these attacks are targeting government and educational institutions,” Ona said at a Center for a New American Security event on strengthening cyber partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. “This is indeed a deliberate and very organized effort – offensive cyber coupled with misinformation and malign influence operations.”

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