2026 Security Predictions for Asia Pacific from Akamai Technologies

- Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology & Strategy at Akamai

Security: AI to supercharge cyber threats across APAC

● Compressed attack timelines due to autonomous AI: We anticipate a fundamental shift in how cyberattacks unfold in APAC in 2026 with faster, more automated and increasingly self-directed threats powered by AI. Attackers will leverage both generative AI and autonomous AI capabilities that can scan for weakness, test entry points and launch exploits with minimal human involvement. This machine-driven model compresses the timelines of breaches that once unfolded over weeks to within hours, raising risk across high-value digital markets such as Singapore, Korea and Japan.

● APIs to become the primary vector for application-layer breaches: API-led attacks are expected to overtake web-based attacks as digital banking, public services and retail applications lean more heavily on API ecosystems. Over 80% of APAC organizations faced at least one API security incident in the past year, and almost two-thirds lack visibility on which of their APIs are sending sensitive data. This lack of visibility, combined with AI-powered automation creates ideal conditions for attackers to rapidly probe, enumerate and exploit vulnerable API flows at scale.

● The full democratization of ransomware: Ransomware will become fully commoditized in 2026, transforming into a mass-scale cybercrime economy. With off-the-shelf Ransomware-as-a-Service subscriptions, AI-powered “vibe-hacking,” and growing collaboration between cybercriminals, hacktivists, and state-aligned actors, launching an extortion campaign will require far less expertise than before. Sectors rich in sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, retail, media will face intensified targeting, while managed service providers and supply chain vendors become high-value entry points. High-tech industries such as semiconductors remain especially vulnerable.

Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology & Strategy at Akamai, said:
“AI is fundamentally changing the economics of cyberattacks in APAC. Adversaries are no longer scaling through manpower, but rather through automation. Leaders can’t rely on human-paced defenses in a machine-paced threat environment. In 2026, security teams need to operate at the same velocity as the attackers by detecting, analyzing, and containing threats in real time. This starts with modernizing API governance, investing in automated threat containment, and strengthening resilience across supply chains. Organizations that make this shift early will be the ones to better protect customer trust and maintain business continuity in an evolving AI-driven threat landscape.”