Press Releases

59% of geo-distributed businesses globally and 60% in South Africa experienced network problems related to their multi-site structure at least once a month, shows a Kaspersky survey of Network and Information Security decision makers from 20 countries worldwide. Among the most common challenges named were network outages, lost connections and poor performance of services and applications.

With more than 184 million people across Africa having embraced mobile money according to a GSMA report, and with Discovery Bank and Visa research showing an increasing popularity of contactless payments and digital wallets in South Africa, these solutions have become essential to help drive financial inclusion. In fact, SOLmate, a leading digital wallet provider in South Africa, has seen strong demand for its digital wallet offering locally, where it has enabled over 2 million transactions since inception with 1 million of those in the last 6 months alone. However, such money flows attract cybercriminals. According to Kaspersky’s statistics the number of mobile banking malware attacks globally grew by 32% in 2023. Kaspersky and SOLmate experts give advice on security aspects that should be kept in mind to have safe experiences while making digital transactions.

Cybercriminals aren’t ignoring Linux-based devices, which becomes evident when looking at some of the recent examples of malware targeting this operating system: a Linux implant for the DinodasRAT malware — also known as XDealer; or a backdoor in the Trojanised version of Free Download Manager. To help Linux users stay protected from developing cyberthreats, Kaspersky has released a dedicated free product that allows users to check Linux computers for current threats — Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool for Linux.

Observing Youth Day on the 16th of June serves as a keen reminder of the importance of encompassing development of our youth and an advent of this is also teaching children about online safety. This is especially important given how Kaspersky research has found (based on certain key words used) that the number of cyberattack attempts targeting children grew by 35% (1.3 million attempts) in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period of the last year.

Recently, there have been a number of news items about data leaks, such as those from Santander and Ticketmaster. In fact, data leaks are a constant issue, affecting a range of industries from banking to logistics companies, online stores, entertainment, and more. Companies usually try to protect affected clients, but individuals can also take steps on their side to improve digital security. Kaspersky experts give advice on what to do if your personal data was leaked.

Over one-third (39%) of geographically distributed companies in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region identify building and maintaining a cohesive IT infrastructure across multiple sites as their primary concern, according to a new Kaspersky survey. At the same time, 23% of businesses surveyed consider ensuring comprehensive information protection of all their offices the most significant challenge.

Phishing attacks are among the most widespread and effective tactics used by cybercriminals against business. These schemes aim to deceive employees into disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data, by posing as legitimate sources. While phishing attacks come in various forms, they often target corporate email systems due to the wealth of valuable information they hold. To assist businesses in bolstering their defenses against potential breaches, Kaspersky is unveiling the anatomy of a phishing attack.

According to Kaspersky's findings, 87% of parents globally believe they are primarily responsible for regulating their children’s digital behaviour. To assist parents in effectively managing their children's online engagement, Kaspersky conducts an annual review of children's online interests. The analysis is based on anonymised data search queries, voluntarily provided by Kaspersky Safe Kids users. This year we’ve analysed requests data for both mobile (Android) and desktop platforms (Windows).

According to Kaspersky statistics, in the first quarter of 2024, the percentage of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) computers globally on which malicious objects were blocked decreased by 1.3 percentage points (pp) from the first quarter of the previous year - to 24.4%. In Africa the amount of malware remained almost unchanged, on a level much higher compared to other regions - 32.4% of ICS computers in Africa faced cyberthreats in the first quarter of 2024. In South Africa the figures are 23.5% in Q1 2023 and 25.5% in Q1 2024, Kenya – 28.1% and 30.5%, while in Nigeria – the figures grew from 25.3% to 28%.

Kaspersky held its biggest partner conference for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, where more than 115 partner attendees from more than 65 companies gathered in the middle of May in Phuket, Thailand. The company reported successful growth in the META region in 2023, with 19% B2B growth. During the conference, top Kaspersky executives presented cybersecurity industry developments, the company’s innovative solutions and future vision.