Delve into Africa’s cyberthreat landscape as revealed by Kaspersky’s Cyber Security Weekend META 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. Explore the statistics and trends in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, alongside expert discussions on emerging threats and proactive cybersecurity measures.
Kaspersky, a leading cybersecurity firm, shed light on Africa’s cyberthreat scenario during its 9th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event, a convergence of Kaspersky’s experts, journalists, and industry stakeholders, dissected the evolving cyber challenges in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region.
A notable revelation was the presentation of Kaspersky’s cyberthreat landscape data for Africa, highlighting intriguing insights into online perils encountered by users and organizations in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria.
In South Africa, overall cyberthreats dipped by 29% in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a simultaneous 29% surge in phishing attacks. Kenya witnessed an 8% decrease in overall threats but faced a surge in ransomware (68%), backdoors (47%), exploits (22%), and phishing (19%). Nigeria experienced a 10% reduction in overall threats, albeit with an 8% uptick in banking malware attacks.
Additionally, Kaspersky’s data showcased fluctuating online threat levels in various regions, with Turkiye, Kenya, Qatar, and South Africa topping the charts in affected user numbers.
The event also delved into the security ramifications of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the looming threats targeting industrial control systems within critical infrastructure. Kaspersky advocated its Cyber Immunity approach, striving to develop solutions impervious to compromise and minimizing potential vulnerabilities.
Experts at Kaspersky emphasized the growing diversity and sophistication of cyber threats, propelled by advanced technologies like AI and exacerbated by geopolitical and economic turbulence in the META region. They urged users and organizations to embrace a proactive stance towards cybersecurity, leveraging reliable solutions to ward off an array of cyberattacks.