A new report has revealed that millions of online gaming account details were compromised across the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting the growing threat of cyberattacks targeting the booming gaming industry. Thailand experienced the highest number of leaks, while India saw over 84,000 accounts breached.
Asia-Pacific: The Epicenter of Gaming and Cyber Threats
The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has become the world’s largest gaming market, home to over half of the world’s gamers. Countries like China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the rapidly expanding economies of Southeast Asia are key players in this dominance. However, this rapid growth has also made the region a prime target for cybercriminals. A recent report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky revealed that a large number of online gaming account user details were leaked in the APAC region last year.
Scale of the Data Breaches
According to the report, Thailand recorded the highest number of leaked cases with 1,62,892, followed by the Philippines (99,273), Vietnam (87,969), and India (84,262). Other affected countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, China, Sri Lanka, and Singapore, which had the lowest number of leaked cases. In total, approximately 11 million gaming account credentials were leaked across the region in the past year.
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Factors Driving the Surge in Cyberattacks
Several factors contribute to the rise in cyberattacks targeting the gaming industry in the APAC region. The region’s rapid digital adoption, widespread mobile penetration, and a large, young, tech-savvy population with a strong demand for both casual and competitive gaming have created a fertile ground for cybercrime. With nearly 1.8 billion players and a growing ecosystem, the APAC gaming market’s sheer size and influence make it an attractive target for data-stealing cyber threats.
Growing Sophistication of Cyber Threats
Experts warn that virus threats have increased dramatically in recent years. Cybersecurity professionals note a significant jump from just one new virus threat per hour two decades ago to an alarming 4,67,000 new virus threats every day in 2024. This exponential increase highlights the growing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks, posing a risk to online gamers and their personal information across the Asia-Pacific region.