Topic starter
18/08/2026 2:42 pm
TL;DR: Cyber risk across Southeast Asia is rising as average breach costs climbed from $3.23 million to $3.67 million in 2025, while attackers increasingly exploit cloud, supply chain, insider, and third-party exposure, according to Seclore. Data-centric controls matter because trust now has to follow the data, not just the perimeter.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Seclore: “Cyber Threats Are Rising Across Southeast Asia — Is Your Data Ready?”.
By the numbers:
- In 2025, ASEAN recorded an increase in average data breach costs from $3.23 million to $3.67 million.
Key questions
Q: What breaks when data protection stays outside the identity model?
A: Controls that focus only on login and network location lose visibility once a file is copied, shared, or opened in another system.
Q: Why do insider incidents become compliance failures so quickly?
A: Because the risk is usually not the first access event, but the uncontrolled onward use of information after a legitimate user forwards, shares, or stores it elsewhere.
A: Security teams should treat external collaboration as a data governance problem, not just a connectivity problem.
Practitioner guidance
- Define data-level protection for high-value files Apply persistent controls such as encryption, usage policy, and revocation so protection remains attached after files move into collaboration tools or partner systems.
- Time-limit access based on business need Set access windows that match the task, then remove the ability to open, share, or reuse sensitive files once the business purpose ends.
- Review third-party sharing paths Map which vendors, contractors, and cloud services can receive protected data, and require explicit expiry and traceability for each path.
Bottom line: The article’s core argument is that perimeter security no longer matches how sensitive data moves across cloud, partner, and internal systems.
Explore further
View Full Forum → | NHI Foundation Course → | Our Services → | Read the full analysis →
18/08/2026 3:26 pm
Data-centric security is the governance answer to perimeter failure. The article is right to frame the issue around data movement rather than network location, because modern collaboration has dissolved the old inside/outside boundary. Encryption and inspection at the edge do not solve the problem when files continue to circulate after they leave the enterprise. Practitioners should treat persistent data controls as a core governance layer, not an add-on.
A few things that frame the scale:
- Only 5.7% of organisations have full visibility into their service accounts, according to the Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What is the difference between perimeter security and data-centric security?
A: Perimeter security assumes the network boundary is the main control point and focuses on who is inside or outside it. Data-centric security shifts the control point to the information itself, so decisions are based on what data is accessed, how it has moved, and whether the action fits its context across cloud, SaaS, and endpoints.
👉 Read our full editorial: Cyber threats in Southeast Asia expose the limits of perimeter security