Kaspersky Reports Rising Cyberthreats in Africa Ahead of GITEX Nigeria 2025

Data from Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity company, reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa experienced 42.4 million web attacks and 95.6 million on-device attacks in the first half of 2025. The region saw more than a twofold increase in spyware, a 64% rise in password stealer attacks, and a 12% increase in backdoor infections compared with the same period last year. 

These findings are being shared ahead of Kaspersky’s participation in GITEX Nigeria, one of the region’s most significant technology events, taking place on 3–4 September in Lagos. At the exhibition, the company will provide practical advice and deliver workshops designed to help businesses and individuals strengthen their defences against evolving cyberthreats.

In Nigeria during H1 2025, Kaspersky security solutions blocked more than 1.46 million online attack attempts on users. These included phishing scams, exploits, botnets, Remote Desktop Protocol attacks, and network spoofing such as fake Wi-Fi networks. Almost one in five Nigerians (19.9%) were targeted. In the same period, 4.97 million on-device incidents were prevented, with 28.6% of users facing malware delivered via infected USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and hidden installers, including ransomware, worms, backdoors, trojans, password stealers, and spyware.

Kaspersky’s analysis revealed a 66% increase in password stealer incidents in Nigeria in H1 2025 compared with H1 2024, along with a 53% rise in spyware detections. Exploits targeting vulnerabilities in applications such as Microsoft Office remained common. While the total number of phishing detections fell by 52%, phishing campaigns became more targeted. For example, financial-themed phishing attacks focusing on banks, e-shops, and payment systems increased by 46%, with over 595,000 detections recorded in Nigeria.

Industrial systems are also under threat. In the first half of 2025, Kaspersky solutions blocked attacks on 26.5% of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) computers in Nigeria. Virus and worm threats remain a major concern, especially in sectors such as construction, ICS engineering and integration, power energy, and biometrics. Africa overall continues to record one of the highest global rates of ICS computers experiencing blocked malicious activity.

“Every day, more people in Africa and in Nigeria specifically are moving their businesses, banking, and even daily errands online. But with this opportunity comes a challenge. Cybercriminals are also becoming more active, targeting not only big companies and government networks, but also ordinary people, small businesses, and industrial infrastructures we depend on,” says Chris Norton, General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Kaspersky.

At GITEX Nigeria 2025, Kaspersky will deliver workshops covering:

• Using real-time intelligence to monitor, investigate and respond to active threats targeting organisations.

• Building a cyber-aware workforce through tailored training programmes.

• Securing containerised cloud environments and avoiding misconfiguration risks.

• Participating in the Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS), an interactive exercise that helps decision-makers recognise common cybersecurity mistakes and strengthen resilience.

“Earlier this month, Kaspersky signed an MoU with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). That agreement is about giving SMEs more knowledge to protect themselves. Our role at GITEX Nigeria builds on that. For us, it is about supporting Nigeria and the broader region so that digital growth goes hand in hand with digital safety,” concludes Chris Norton.