Hackers step up attacks in South-east Asia amid tensions

Taipei

HACKERS have stepped up their attacks on government organisations and companies in South-east Asia and made the region one of the most targeted in the world amid heightened regional tensions, according to security provider FireEye.

Disputes over territorial waters and ongoing trade talks mean that organisations in the region were 45 per cent more likely to be targeted than the average for the rest of the world, FireEye wrote in a report released on Thursday. The security firm looked specifically at sophisticated cyber attacks, those typically used by governments or professional criminal organisations, rather than amateur efforts.