Kaspersky Urges Stronger AI Cyber Defence

Artificial intelligence (AI) and high-speed connectivity are transforming businesses while rapidly changing the tactics used in cyberattacks. As AI-powered attacks become faster and more sophisticated, global cybersecurity company Kaspersky has urged organisations across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region to strengthen threat detection, monitoring and rapid response capabilities. The company said cybersecurity is no longer only about preventing attacks but also about gaining greater visibility into what is already happening inside an organisation’s technology environment.

Kaspersky researcher Hiya said, “AI and its various applications are increasing speed and connectivity in modern organisations. At the same time, invisible security risks are also increasing across IT and operational technology (OT) environments. Cybersecurity is therefore no longer simply about keeping pace; it is about detecting what is happening inside an organisation before it remains invisible.”

Hiya highlighted several major cybersecurity trends in the APAC region, including AI-assisted cyberattacks, cyber sabotage targeting IT and OT infrastructure, and increasingly sophisticated cyber espionage.

She said, “Last year, we detected and blocked an average of 500,000 unique malicious files every day, which was 7 percent higher than in 2024. Recent cyberattacks in the Asia-Pacific region have shown that the divide between the online and physical worlds has effectively disappeared. Just a few weeks ago, a cyberattack on Nichirei Corp disrupted its logistics network. Meanwhile, India’s manufacturing sector has become one of the major centres in the Asia-Pacific region for ransomware attacks targeting industrial organisations. Various cybercriminal groups are regularly disrupting factory operations and IT services at industrial organisations.”

AI agents are also creating a new layer of risk in the cyber supply chain, Hiya said. “AI agents have added a new layer to the cyber supply chain. This year alone, Kaspersky has detected more than 15,000 malware samples disguised as agent-based AI software. Since AI agents depend on third-party frameworks, APIs and plugins, the compromise of an upstream component in the supply chain can spread its impact across multiple downstream systems. This significantly increases the risks of cyber sabotage and cyber espionage.”

She added, “As threats become AI-driven and defence also becomes AI-powered, organisations in the Asia-Pacific region need to focus not only on preventing attacks but also on how much visibility they have into what is already happening within their own environments.”

Kaspersky’s Compromise Assessment data also highlights the scale of the risk. In 31 percent of the analysed incidents, malicious activity had continued for more than three months. Meanwhile, 52 percent of high-risk cyber compromises were detected 90 days after the incident. One of the longest-running incidents remained active for four years before it was detected.

Hiya said, “Our recent report has shown why modern and integrated Security Operations Centres (SOCs) have become critical for businesses. If organisations only respond after an attack or lack continuous monitoring, attackers gain valuable time to move across networks, obtain greater access and take control of critical systems.”

Kaspersky is combining AI capabilities with human expertise across its security technologies and services. Hiya said, “For Kaspersky, AI is not an additional advantage. AI has been integrated across our entire technology system for the past 20 years. It enables us to detect threats faster, automate various tasks more effectively and provide continuous protection.”

She said, “No matter how cyber threats evolve, we have always believed that the future of cybersecurity lies in combining AI with human expertise. It is not about AI or humans; we call it ‘Humachine Intelligence’. This philosophy has guided our innovation for years and will continue to play an important role in addressing future cyber threats.”

Kaspersky said organisations can strengthen threat detection, investigation, rapid response and overall cybersecurity capabilities through solutions including Kaspersky Next, Compromise Assessment, Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Incident Response and SOC Consulting.

//DBTech/RI/SME//