Cyberthreat in Nigeria declined by 10% in 2023 — Kaspersky

Kaspersky has revealed that cyber threats declined by 10 percent in Nigeria in 2023.

The cybersecurity firm disclosed this during its 9th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2024, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to its experts, these cyber threats included those caused by web pages, emails, or web services vulnerabilities.

In a statement, the experts said, “Despite the decline in cyber threats in Nigeria, banking malware attacks designed to collect online banking credentials and other sensitive information from infected machines increased by 8 percent.”

Other African countries recorded declines, too, in 2023. Threats in South Africa decreased by 29 percent, but phishing attacks that use social engineering tactics to scam people into revealing sensitive information rose by 29 percent in the country.

Kenya saw a fall in overall threats by 8 percent. Despite this, the country saw a 68 percent increase in ransomware attacks, and phishing rose by 19 percent.

Amin Hasbini, director of META Research Center Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) at Kaspersky, highlighted the impact of emerging technologies on the threat landscape. Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into various sectors has become a significant risk factor influencing the scale of modern threats, the expert noted.

“The cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, and threats become more diverse and sophisticated, particularly with the emergence of advanced technologies like AI within the META region,” Hasbini said.

Kaspersky’s further revealed that Turkiye had the highest number of users affected by online threats (41.8 percent), followed by Kenya (39.2 percent), Qatar (38.8 percent), and South Africa (35 percent) in 2023. Oman (23.4 percent), Egypt (27.4 percent), Saudi Arabia (29.9 percent), and Kuwait (30.8 percent) reported fewer affected users.

“As the cybersecurity landscape continues to shift, Kaspersky emphasises the importance of staying ahead of emerging threats and implementing robust security measures to protect individuals and organisations across the META region,” Hasbini added.