Fortifying the Healthcare Sector in Asia/Pacific: The Essential Role of AI in Cybersecurity

This IDC Perspective highlights the need for healthcare organizations in Asia/Pacific to secure themselves against highly complex, AI-enabled cyberattacks that target an ever-expanding attack surface. The report discusses regional healthcare organizations' challenges and priorities, governments' updated cybersecurity regulations, and key vendors showcasing their AI-enabled cybersecurity solutions. "The Asia/Pacific healthcare sector faces increasing cyberthreats as the shift toward patient-centric care and clinical data utilization expands the attack surface. Although investments in AI and GenAI use cases have accelerated, regional healthcare organizations are also prioritizing cyber-resilience. As cybersecurity remains a top technology priority for healthcare leaders, their focus is shifting beyond basic security measures to advanced capabilities driven by AI, such as real-time threat intelligence, automated threat analysis, and predictive analytics for identifying and acting on potential security risks in advance to be cyber-resilient," says Manoj Vallikkat, senior research manager, IDC Asia/Pacific Health Insights."As AI-enabled cyberthreats become more sophisticated, healthcare organizations in Asia/Pacific must shift toward an intelligence-driven security model. The convergence of AI and cybersecurity is no longer optional. It is essential in securing expanding attack surfaces across Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), cloud-based healthcare systems, and digital patient records. Chief information security officers must prioritize AI-powered threat detection, automated incident response, and predictive analytics to mitigate evolving attack vectors. The adoption of zero-trust frameworks, AI-augmented security operations centers, and real-time anomaly detection will be key in reducing dwell time and improving response efficiency. The future of healthcare cybersecurity will rely on the seamless integration of AI, automation, and advanced analytics to ensure cyber-resilience while enabling digital transformation in patient care," says Sakshi Grover, senior research manager on cybersecurity products and services, IDC Asia/Pacific.