Artificial intelligence (AI) outranks ransomware as the top concern for IT and security leaders in Singapore, signalling a shift in how organisations perceive and prioritise cyber risk.
This is according to a new report from Arctic Wolf, which recently started operations in Singapore as part of its expansion across the Asia-Pacific region.
As emerging technologies introduce new vulnerabilities and attack vectors, the need for effective security operations has never been more critical. This helps organisations detect threats earlier, respond faster, and build long-term resilience.
The Singapore-focused report found that security breaches are common and transparency is improving. Seven in every 10 (70%) businesses disclosed a breach in the past year as they were required to by law.
Meanwhile, 23% did so due to requirements from their insurer or an outside entity. Arctic World said this indicates strong regulatory compliance and incident transparency in the country.
Also, significant attacks remain widespread. Malware and business email compromise were the most used methods followed by ransomware and/or data exfiltration.
In addition, ransom payouts were worryingly high. All organisations hit by ransomware in Singapore, paid.
Of those, 83% engaged a professional negotiator, which led to reduced payments in more than half of the cases.
Further, complexities exist in current cybersecurity stacks. While respondents are satisfied with the firewall and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) components of their security stacks, 57% cited difficult implementations as a complexity along with lack of efficacy (33%).
“The findings from our 2025 Trends Report make it clear that organisations in Singapore are under growing pressure to advance their cybersecurity maturity,” said David Hayes, Director APAC, Arctic Wolf.
“From managing AI-driven risks to navigating breach disclosure and responding to ransomware, businesses need more than just point solutions, they need a partner with the breadth and expertise to drive meaningful outcomes,” said Hayes.
