In 2024, about **** million cyber threats via web browsers were detected and foiled in the Philippines, reflecting a significant decline from the previous year's total of roughly **** million threats. The number of web threats detected and blocked in the Philippines nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020.

In 2024, the most common type of cybercrime reported to the United States internet Crime Complaint Center was phishing, with its variation, spoofing, affecting approximately 193,000 individuals. In addition, over 86,000 cases of extortion were reported to the IC3 during that year. Dynamic of phishing attacks Over the past few years, phishing attacks have increased significantly. In 2024, over 193,000 individuals fell victim to such attacks. The highest number of phishing scam victims since 2018 was recorded in 2021, approximately 324 thousand.Phishing attacks can take many shapes. Bulk phishing, smishing, and business e-mail compromise (BEC) are the most common types. With the recent development of generative AI, it has become easier to craft a believable phishing e-mail. This is currently among the top concerns of organizations leaders. Impact of phishing attacks Among the most targeted industries by cybercriminals are healthcare, financial, manufacturing, and education institutions. An observation carried out in the fourth quarter of 2024 found that software-as-a-service (SaaS) and webmail was most likely to encounter phishing attacks. According to the reports, almost a quarter of them stated being targeted by a phishing scam in the measured period.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) in the Philippines reported receiving over 10,000 cybercrime complaints in 2024 alone, more than ***** times that of the previous year. CICC is a government agency responsible for monitoring cybercrime cases in violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Incidents of data breaches in the Philippines reached roughly 0.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2024, indicating a decrease from the previous quarter. The number of data breaches peaked in the second quarter of 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges in cybersecurity As one of the countries in Asia with a high internet penetration, Filipino online users have been surfing the web to access social media and other entertainment platforms. Recently, particularly at the height of the global pandemic, Filipino internet users also adopted online shopping and digital payment services for their essential and non-essential needs. With the increased digitalization of most services comes the heightened risk of being a victim of cyber threats such as phishing, online scams, data theft, and mobile malware. Such incidents were especially prominent among users lacking cyber hygiene or those unaware of how to protect their personal information when doing their online transactions. Cybersecurity market insights Despite the increased risks of online threats in the Philippines, the cybersecurity market remains modest compared to other countries. In particular, the Philippines ranked 12th out of 14 among countries in the Asia-Pacific region regarding the size of its cybersecurity market and was forecast to grow to about 344 million U.S. dollars in 2028.

According to a 2022 cyber security survey conducted among companies, business interruption and data loss were the leading impacts of cyber incidents in the Philippines. In comparison, ** percent of the respondents had to pay ransom due to cyber incidents.

In June 2021, there were ***** thousand cyberattacks reported in the Philippines, reflecting a significant decline from the same month of the previous year. The number of cyberattacks in the country were exponential during the first quarter of the year, reaching as much as around **** million.

In 2019, the number of cybercrime incidents in region one of the Philippines was highest for those who had been sent fraudulent SMS or text scams, amounting to approximately ***** thousand victims. Other cybercrimes committed in the region involved hacking, phishing, and cyberbullying.

In 2019, the number of cybercrime incidents within region three of the Philippines was highest for those who had been sent fraudulent SMS or text scams, amounting to approximately *** million victims. Other cybercrimes committed in the region involved hacking, phishing, and cyberbullying.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) or the Philippine central bank, reported cyber crime incidents resulted in gross losses amounting to **** billion Philippine pesos in 2024. Threats to financial institutions continue to increase in the country as more people use digital payment systems for their purchases, both online and offline.

The number of phishing attacks in the Philippines during the first half of 2022 already surpassed the number of attacks in the whole year of 2021. In that period, over *** million attacks have been detected compared to **** million attacks in 2021. Among the most prevalent types of phishing attacks in the country were targeted at payment systems, e-commerce shops, and local banks.

In 2019, the number of cybercrime incidents within the National Capital Region of the Philippines was highest for those who had been sent fraudulent SMS or text scams, amounting to approximately *** million victims. Other cybercrimes committed in the country involved hacking, phishing, and cyberbullying.

As of June 2024, Facebook and Instagram were the leading social media applications in the Philippines. As of this date, the social media apps have been downloaded ************ times from the Google Play Store. Both Facebook and Instagram are owned by Meta, along with the messaging application Facebook Messenger. Facebook's popularity in the Philippines  The number of Facebook users in the Philippines has been gradually increasing over the years, with the platform’s popularity apparent across generations. Facebook is used more than just as a networking site; it is leveraged by businesses and news outlets to reach out to the country’s growing internet population. A 2024 survey on digital news in the Philippines revealed that among the social networking platforms, Facebook was the most trusted news source. Challenges in cybersecurity As more transactions become digital, the risk of falling prey to cybercrime also increases. In 2023, about ****** online scam incidents were recorded in the Philippines, which represents a significant increase from just *** in 2019. To address this, the Philippine government passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which penalizes illegal acts done online such as identity theft, child pornography, and cybersex.