Cyberattacks targeting Thai industries surged past 3,000 incidents between January and September 2026, climbing from roughly 2,000 cases recorded in 2023, according to Asia News Network.
Assoc Prof Dr Aat Pisanwanich, a lecturer at Rangsit University’s Faculty of Economics, outlined an analysis detailing how digital economic growth, geopolitical conflicts, artificial intelligence, expanding online crime, and limited cybersecurity resources drive these threats. The analysis notes that Thailand shares a top ASEAN ranking for reported cyber incidents.
Ten key Thai industries generated THB12.74 trillion in combined value added during 2024. Among these sectors, manufacturing led with approximately THB3.86 trillion, or 20.3% of gross domestic product, while trade and e-commerce followed at about THB2.54 trillion, or 13.4% of GDP.
The National Cyber Security Agency and Thailand Computer Emergency Response Team statistics categorized these industries into three distinct risk tiers. Finance and banking alongside energy and utilities occupy the very high-risk group. Healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, transport and logistics, and government services sit in the high-risk category. Trade and e-commerce, tourism and hotels, and media and entertainment comprise the moderate-risk group.
Global economic losses from cyber incidents typically range between 0.32% and 2.3% of gross domestic product, translating to between $40 million and $111.14 billion globally. A 2024 study by Friederikos Fotis examining 17 industries identified healthcare, finance, and pharmaceuticals as facing the greatest financial impact at $10 million, $5.97 million, and $5.01 million respectively, while government agencies, hotels, and media registered as the lowest-risk sectors.
A 2026 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development placed China’s share of reported cyberattack incidents in East Asia and ASEAN highest at 22%, followed by Japan at 21%. South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines each accounted for 10% of the total.
Financial fraud and call-centre networks currently represent major threats across Thailand and ASEAN. However, hybrid warfare and geopolitical tensions continue to accelerate risks of more severe disruptions like ransomware and distributed denial-of-service attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
Seven specific measures have been outlined to address these vulnerabilities, including backing up government and business data, strengthening distributed denial-of-service protection for payment systems, and improving security for critical sectors like electricity, water, and aviation. Additional steps involve helping small and medium-sized enterprises access cybersecurity through tax deductions, increasing specialist budgets, expanding international cooperation within ASEAN, and coordinating public-private defenses against hybrid warfare.
