Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, held a press conference in Johannesburg to share insights and statistics about cyber threats in Africa. According to Kaspersky, Africa remains one of the most targeted regions for cybercrime throughout 2023, and the company made forecasts on how the situation will develop in 2024.
In the third quarter of 2023, there was a 24% increase in the number of corporate users affected by web threats in South Africa. However, when comparing the same quarter in 2022 and 2023, there was an 8% decline in the number of corporate users affected by web threats, showing a slight improvement.
Phishing attacks also saw an increase in Kenya in Q3 2023, with a 32% rise compared to Q2 of the same year and a 12% increase compared to Q3 2022. However, in Nigeria, there was a 12% increase in phishing attack detections in Q3 2023 compared to Q2, but there was an 8% decrease compared to Q3 2022, indicating a mixed trend in different African countries.
Furthermore, Africa is one of the regions with the highest number of detected attacks on industrial control systems (ICS computers). In Q3 2023, attacks were detected on 32% of ICS computers in Africa, with a lower percentage in individual countries such as South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Additionally, the number of attacks on Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the African region continues to increase. Kaspersky reported that South Africa accounts for 28% of attacks on IoT devices, followed by Kenya at 12% and Nigeria at 6%.
Looking ahead to 2024, Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Client Lead at Kaspersky in Africa, anticipates a dynamic evolution of cyber threats with an increase in state-sponsored cyber-attacks. Opil also mentioned that the prevalence of generative AI is expected to fuel an expansion of spear-phishing tactics, while the creative exploitation of vulnerabilities in mobile and IoT devices is projected to rise.
To combat these cyber threats, Kaspersky experts recommend that organizations should conduct regular cyber skill checkups among employees, offer competent training, and educate corporate users about potential privacy risks. Furthermore, they advise installing updates for firmware used on digital devices, using IoT protection solutions for corporate networks, and establishing continuous vulnerability assessment and triage as the foundation for an effective vulnerability management process.
Ultimately, Kaspersky aims to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments, and consumers globally through their comprehensive security portfolio, which includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, and Cyber Immune solutions. With over 400 million users protected by Kaspersky technologies, the company continues to innovate and evolve to address the ever-changing digital threats landscape.