The Philippines remains one of Southeast Asia’s top hotspots for industrial malware attacks, according to a new report presented at the Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity Conference (KICS) 2025.
Despite a slight quarter-on-quarter drop in some threat categories, the country continues to face widespread exposure to operational technology (OT) cyber risks.
Kaspersky’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS CERT) reported that 19.09 percent of industrial control system (ICS) computers in the Philippines had malicious objects blocked in Q2 2025. This was down slightly from 22.27 percent in the previous quarter, yet still places the country among the region’s most affected.
Southeast Asia overall logged the highest global rates of virus and AutoCAD malware detection on ICS systems. In the Philippines, 10.33 percent of threats were internet-based, also showing a modest decline from 13.20 percent in Q1.
“While some attack vectors have seen a slight decline, the overall trend highlights the importance of maintaining strong defenses,” said Sam Yan, head of sales for Asia emerging countries at Kaspersky. “Organizations need to continuously strengthen their cybersecurity posture through regular assessments, timely updates, and capacity-building for both IT and OT teams to stay resilient against evolving threats.”
Other threat sources are also on the rise. Email-based threats increased to 1.91 percent in Q2 from 1.36 percent in Q1, while spyware-related threats rose slightly to 3.41 percent. Removable media threats, though slightly reduced, continue to be a concern.
The persistent threat landscape has broad implications for Philippine industries, particularly in sectors reliant on automated operations and critical infrastructure. Disruptions could impact manufacturing, energy, utilities, and logistics — sectors vital to economic growth and stability.
To address these risks, Kaspersky promotes its Industrial CyberSecurity (KICS) ecosystem, an Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platform tailored to protect critical infrastructure. The solution integrates IT and OT security capabilities, including network traffic analysis and endpoint protection.
As the Philippines continues its digital transformation across industries, the report underscores an urgent need for stronger cybersecurity investments and policy responses to safeguard economic continuity and national resilience.
