Sub-Saharan Africa experienced 42,4-million Web attacks and 95,6-million on-device attacks in the first half of 2025, according to new research from Kaspersky, which says that the region recorded more than a double increase in spyware; 64% more password stealer attacks; and 12% more backdoor infections compared with the same period last year.
Ahead of Gitex Nigeria, Kaspersky says that in the first half of 2025 it blocked more than 1,46-million online attack attempts on users in the country. With these threats (that include phishing scams, exploits, botnets, Remote Desktop Protocol attacks, and Network spoofing such as fake Wi-Fi networks), nearly one in five people in the country (19,9%) were targeted.
In the same period, 4,97 million on-device incidents were blocked – where 28,6% of Nigerian users faced malware delivered via infected USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and hidden installers including ransomware, worms, backdoors, trojans, password stealers, and spyware.
Kaspersky’s analysis shows a 66% increase in password stealers in Nigeria in H1 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, alongside a 53% increase in spyware blocked. Exploits targeting vulnerabilities in applications like Microsoft Office also remain prevalent. Though the overall number of phishing detections decreased by 52%, phishing threats became more targeted – focusing on specific topics – for example, phishing specifically related to financial topics (banks, e-shops, payment systems) was on the rise and grew 46% (Kaspersky recorded over 595 000 detections of finance-related phishing in the country).
Industrial environments are also subject to cyberthreats: attacks on 26,5% of ICS (Industrial Control Systems) computers in Nigeria were blocked by Kaspersky solutions in H1 2025. There are likely significant problems with virus and worm threats – especially affecting the construction, ICS engineering and integration, power energy, and biometrics industries. Africa, in general, has one of the highest rates of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked among regions globally.
“Every day, more people in Africa – and in Nigeria specifically – are moving their businesses, banking, and even daily errands online,” says Chris Norton, GM for Sub-Saharan Africa at Kaspersky. “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.”