Kaspersky: 87% of APAC SMBs Hit by Cyber Incidents
Kaspersky's 2026 SMB Threat Landscape Report found 87% of Asia-Pacific companies with under 500 employees faced at least one incident in the past year.
Kaspersky published its "2026 SMB Threat Landscape Report" on the 7th, finding that 87% of companies with fewer than 500 employees in Asia-Pacific experienced at least one cybersecurity incident over the past year, while 13% reported none.
Vietnam recorded the highest incident rate at 97%, followed by Malaysia at 95%, Indonesia at 92% and India at 87%. Thailand and China stood at 82% and 67% respectively, both below the regional average, according to tech42.co.kr.
Among SMBs, software vulnerability exploitation was the most common incident type at 20%, followed by phishing at 19% and large-scale malware attacks at 18%, while 6% experienced zero-day attacks. Asia-Pacific companies faced an average of three types of security incidents in the past year.
Respondents cited low security awareness among non-IT staff as a factor increasing the likelihood of successful attacks at 26%, followed by lack of IT security expertise at 24% and outdated software or hardware at 23%.
On spending, 75% of Asia-Pacific companies plan to strengthen IT security functions, and 78% of SMBs have already increased their cybersecurity budgets this year. Of those that added budget, 48% allocated it to expanding IT and security personnel, while 32% invested in advanced solutions such as XDR, NDR and SIEM.
Kaspersky recommended access rights management for company resources and cloud services, automated data backups, and employee security training that includes identifying deepfake and voice phishing threats. The survey covered 1,800 IT security professionals from SMBs and large enterprises across 18 countries.
Incident rates by market
Vietnam led the region at 97%, ahead of Malaysia at 95%, Indonesia at 92% and India at 87%. Thailand and China were below the Asia-Pacific average at 82% and 67%.
Quick answers
What did the Kaspersky report find about Asia-Pacific SMBs?
It found that 87% of companies with fewer than 500 employees in Asia-Pacific experienced at least one cybersecurity incident in the past year, while 13% did not.
Which countries had the highest incident rates?
Vietnam at 97%, Malaysia at 95%, Indonesia at 92% and India at 87%.
How was the survey conducted?
It covered 1,800 IT security professionals from SMBs and large enterprises across 18 countries.