Cybersecurity is one of the biggest concerns among enterprises looking ahead as the number of cyber-attacks is expected to soar in 2025 due to wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing in Thailand, reflecting the trend towards digital transformation.

Cybersecurity will be more challenging and complex as several important factors are expected to develop with threats becoming increasingly diverse and sophisticated, said Sayam Tiewtranon, chief executive of Turnkey Communication Services (TKC), a SET-listed telecom systems consulting, design and engineering firm.

He said hackers will take advantage of new technologies such as AI, IoT and cloud computing to create more serious and diverse threats next year, such as more sophisticated ransomware and supply chain attacks.

The increasing use of IoT devices and their perpetual connection to the internet is creating more vulnerabilities for hackers to access, he added.

Meanwhile, mainstream activities of the current era such as remote working will increase cybersecurity risks as employees may connect to corporate networks via personal devices that may not be sufficiently secure.

Mr Sayam said critical infrastructure sectors will still be major targets of cyber-attacks in 2025 such as finance, energy and healthcare as the attacks may be carried out via AI to create malware that can effectively bypass defence systems.

According to the 2024 ThaiCERT report, there were 1,827 cases of cyber-attacks this year, of which 124 cases were in the private sector. Among the top five types of cyber-attacks were fake websites or URLs, data theft and disruption of services.

Top five sectors which were attacked were commerce, finance and banks, foreign commerce, retail, IT and telecom.

Mr Sayam said the government should continue tightening its cybersecurity measures to cope with the escalating cybersecurity menace.

It should raise awareness among the public and organisations about cyberthreats and how to they can ensure they are sufficiently protected.

It should also develop skilled human resources to deal with a variety of threats, and invest in modern cybersecurity technology such as AI-based intrusion detection and prevention systems.

In a related development, the National Cybersecurity Agency recently held the "Executive Education Certificate Program in Cybersecurity", a training course on cybersecurity for executives. Over 100 senior executives from government agencies and private organisations participated in the course.

According to the agency's secretary-general AVM Amorn Chomchoey, the course is part of an acceleration in the country's personnel development initiatives for training senior executives to create long-term planning strategies for them in terms of dealing with cyberthreats.

Thank you : Bangkok Post