Malware attacks in Kenya drops by 13%

A new research by Kaspersky has revealed that in the first half of 2021, malware attacks in Kenya have dropped by 13% compared to the same period last year.

The most targeted country was South Africa with 32 million attacks followed by Kenya with 28.3million then Nigeria with 16.7 million and Ethiopia with 8 million. Of these, Kenya is the only country that has recorded a growth in the attacks.

South Africa has seen an increase of 14 per cent in the attacks while Ethiopia and Nigeria have seen an increase of 20 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Kaspersky noted, “Malware attacks have been on the increase in Africa recording a 5 per cent increase this year compared to the same period last year.”

According to the research findings, cybercriminals have continued to focus on African countries considering digital transformation advancements leading to an increase in malware attacks in the region.

Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa, Bethwel Opil, “Even though the scourge of malware has always been of concern, the past 12-months have highlighted how hackers are refocusing their efforts to compromise consumer and corporate systems and gain access to critical data and information. Given the growth of digital transformation across Africa since last year, the continent has become an attractive target for those looking to exploit a lack of user education and cybersecurity understanding. This has contributed to the large number of personal devices still not having any form of cybersecurity software installed.”

The cybersecurity firm recommends various practices to reduce the attacks such as installing anti-virus software on every device that connects to the internet, downloading applications from trusted sites, adding that users should install anti-virus software on every device that connects to the internet download applications from trusted sites.