Kaspersky Warns Malaysians of Indonesia Travel Cyber Threats

MW Contributor · 2026-10-23T23:11:21+08:00

Kaspersky has warned Malaysians travelling to Indonesia to guard against cyber threats, after its telemetry recorded almost 13 million web threat detections in the country over twelve months. The warning was issued on 20 October 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. It comes as Indonesia remains the top travel destination for Malaysians. Kaspersky said visitors face risks ranging from device theft to account takeovers and credential theft. The security firm based its warning on detections recorded by its products in Indonesia between the third quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. The four categories it highlighted were: General web threats: 12,926,883 detections. Malicious websites and other online risks, including those encountered while searching for travel information, booking services or using public networks. Backdoors: 2,847,403 detections. Malware that may allow attackers to gain unauthorised access to infected devices. Password stealers: 559,924 detections. Programs designed to collect credentials from browsers, applications and accounts. Spyware: 481,008 detections. Malicious software that can monitor user activity and access sensitive information. Added together, the four categories come to 16,815,218 detections over the twelve month period. That total is a calculation from the published figures, not a figure Kaspersky itself stated. Why the Warning Targets Malaysians Malaysians are Indonesia's largest source of international visitors. According to the Indonesia Tourism Development report cited by Kaspersky, Malaysians made up 17.27 percent of international arrivals in November 2025. Official figures from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) support the scale of the flow. BPS recorded 15.39 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2025, an increase of 10.80 percent over the previous year. Malaysians accounted for 17.20 percent of the total for the full year, the largest share of any nationality. A GoodStats compilation of BPS data puts the number of Malaysian visitors at approximately 2.64 million for 2025. The percentages differ because they measure different periods. The Kaspersky figure covers November 2025, while the BPS figure covers the whole of 2025. The Exposure Starts Before Departure The same Kaspersky dataset places Malaysia's exposure level above Indonesia's. The company's regional figures, published on 21 October 2026, record 15.3 million web threat detections in Malaysia and roughly 6 million in Singapore for the same period. Malaysians were also the worst affected by a separate campaign documented by Kaspersky in June 2026. That operation spread malicious VBScript files through direct messages on WhatsApp Desktop and WhatsApp Web. Kaspersky identified victims across several countries, with the highest number observed in Malaysia. The new travel warning names WhatsApp account takeovers among the threats facing Indonesia bound tourists. Device Theft Named as the Key Risk Kaspersky said Malaysians should pay particular attention to device theft in Indonesia. Mobile phones and laptops can be targeted in crowded tourist areas such as Bali and Jakarta, at transport hubs and in other public spaces. The company said tourists are most vulnerable when distracted, walking near roadsides or leaving valuables unattended. The loss goes beyond the hardware. Thieves may reach banking apps, email and other online accounts if a device is not properly secured. Kaspersky advised travellers to enable strong screen locks and biometric authentication, activate device tracking and remote wipe features, and avoid leaving devices unattended. Anyone who loses a device should change important passwords immediately. Other threats named in the warning include ATM and card skimming, public Wi-Fi risks and credential theft. "Travel is a time when people naturally focus on discovering new places, not on cybersecurity. This is exactly what makes tourists attractive targets: they use unfamiliar digital services, connect from new locations and often make quick decisions. Our research shows that cybercriminals actively exploit these situations. By understanding the most relevant threats in each destination, travellers can take simple steps to protect their data and enjoy their journey with greater confidence," said Noushin Shabab, Lead Security Researcher at Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). Kaspersky's Recommendations for Travellers Kaspersky recommends booking directly through official websites or apps rather than following booking links received by email, text message or social media. It advises checking URLs carefully before entering payment details, since phishing pages often use lookalike domains. The company also recommends treating urgent or unusually cheap deals with suspicion, particularly those demanding wire transfers or gift cards. It suggests strong unique passwords for travel accounts, multi-factor authentication where offered, and installing travel apps only from official app stores. Travellers should

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October 23, 2026 at 11:11 pm
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Kaspersky has warned Malaysians travelling to Indonesia to guard against cyber threats, after its telemetry recorded almost 13 million web threat detections in the country over twelve months.
The warning was issued on 20 October 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. It comes as Indonesia remains the top travel destination for Malaysians. Kaspersky said visitors face risks ranging from device theft to account takeovers and credential theft.
The security firm based its warning on detections recorded by its products in Indonesia between the third quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. The four categories it highlighted were:
General web threats: 12,926,883 detections. Malicious websites and other online risks, including those encountered while searching for travel information, booking services or using public networks.
Backdoors: 2,847,403 detections. Malware that may allow attackers to gain unauthorised access to infected devices.
Password stealers: 559,924 detections. Programs designed to collect credentials from browsers, applications and accounts.
Spyware: 481,008 detections. Malicious software that can monitor user activity and access sensitive information.
Added together, the four categories come to 16,815,218 detections over the twelve month period. That total is a calculation from the published figures, not a figure Kaspersky itself stated.
Why the Warning Targets Malaysians
Malaysians are Indonesia’s largest source of international visitors. According to the Indonesia Tourism Development report cited by Kaspersky, Malaysians made up 17.27 percent of international arrivals in November 2025.
Official figures from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) support the scale of the flow. BPS recorded 15.39 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2025, an increase of 10.80 percent over the previous year. Malaysians accounted for 17.20 percent of the total for the full year, the largest share of any nationality. A GoodStats compilation of BPS data puts the number of Malaysian visitors at approximately 2.64 million for 2025.
The percentages differ because they measure different periods. The Kaspersky figure covers November 2025, while the BPS figure covers the whole of 2025.
The Exposure Starts Before Departure
The same Kaspersky dataset places Malaysia’s exposure level above Indonesia’s. The company’s regional figures, published on 21 October 2026, record 15.3 million web threat detections in Malaysia and roughly 6 million in Singapore for the same period.
Malaysians were also the worst affected by a separate campaign documented by Kaspersky in June 2026. That operation spread malicious VBScript files through direct messages on WhatsApp Desktop and WhatsApp Web. Kaspersky identified victims across several countries, with the highest number observed in Malaysia. The new travel warning names WhatsApp account takeovers among the threats facing Indonesia bound tourists.
Device Theft Named as the Key Risk
Kaspersky said Malaysians should pay particular attention to device theft in Indonesia. Mobile phones and laptops can be targeted in crowded tourist areas such as Bali and Jakarta, at transport hubs and in other public spaces.
The company said tourists are most vulnerable when distracted, walking near roadsides or leaving valuables unattended. The loss goes beyond the hardware. Thieves may reach banking apps, email and other online accounts if a device is not properly secured.
Kaspersky advised travellers to enable strong screen locks and biometric authentication, activate device tracking and remote wipe features, and avoid leaving devices unattended. Anyone who loses a device should change important passwords immediately.
Other threats named in the warning include ATM and card skimming, public Wi-Fi risks and credential theft.
“Travel is a time when people naturally focus on discovering new places, not on cybersecurity. This is exactly what makes tourists attractive targets: they use unfamiliar digital services, connect from new locations and often make quick decisions. Our research shows that cybercriminals actively exploit these situations. By understanding the most relevant threats in each destination, travellers can take simple steps to protect their data and enjoy their journey with greater confidence,” said Noushin Shabab, Lead Security Researcher at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT).
Kaspersky’s Recommendations for Travellers
Kaspersky recommends booking directly through official websites or apps rather than following booking links received by email, text message or social media. It advises checking URLs carefully before entering payment details, since phishing pages often use lookalike domains.
The company also recommends treating urgent or unusually cheap deals with suspicion, particularly those demanding wire transfers or gift cards. It suggests strong unique passwords for travel accounts, multi-factor authentication where offered, and installing travel apps only from official app stores. Travellers should monitor bank statements after booking and report unrecognised charges.
On QR codes, Kaspersky advises scanning only codes from trusted sources and verifying website addresses before proceeding.
What Paid Products Claim to Add
Parts of the advice come bundled with Kaspersky’s commercial products, and the claims below are the company’s own. No independent testing data accompanies the release.
Kaspersky says its Password Manager, included in paid tiers, stores passwords and travel information securely so travellers can regain access after a device loss. Kaspersky Premium, it says, includes a Secure QR Scanner that checks links encoded in QR codes and flags malicious destinations, along with AI-powered scam protection that identifies phishing websites and fraudulent payment pages before payment data is entered.
The firm also says Kaspersky Premium bundles a VPN to encrypt connections on public Wi-Fi.
Travellers can apply the core protections at no cost. Screen locks, biometric authentication, device tracking, remote wipe, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication are all available as built-in device or free account features. The paid products add automated link checking, QR scanning and integrated VPN access to the same problem set.
Traveller Guidance for the Indonesia Run
The numbers that matter most are behavioural rather than technical. Four threat classes produced more than 16 million detections in Indonesia over twelve months, but the bulk were web threats that a careful browser habit and up-to-date device avoid.
Before departure, enable full disk encryption, biometric lockouts and remote wipe, then back up the device. In transit, avoid public Wi-Fi for banking and bookings, or use a VPN. On the ground, keep devices in front pockets in crowds and treat unsolicited booking messages as hostile, whatever the branding. Change passwords immediately after any suspected compromise, starting with email and banking.
The exposure is not confined to Indonesia. With 15.3 million web threat detections recorded in Malaysia over the same period, the habits apply at home as well as abroad.
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