Press Releases

Kaspersky has supported INTERPOL with threat intelligence data in its Africa Cyber Surge II operation, which enabled investigators to identify compromised infrastructure and apprehend threat actors suspected of cybercrimes across the African region. The operation resulted in the arrest of 14 perpetrators and the identification of network infrastructure, linked to financial losses of more than $40 million.

At the South African leg of the IDC Security Roadshow taking place today in Johannesburg, Dmitry Galov, Head of Russia and CIS Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) at Kaspersky, will share insights into the process of how cyberattacks emerge and evolve, with the focus on initial access techniques.

Kaspersky experts have detected a wave in scams related to the RAM courier service in South Africa: fraudsters are employing deceptive tactics to trick unsuspecting users into divulging their financial information by claiming packages were undelivered due to unpaid customs fees. RAM is one of South Africa’s most popular courier services.

Ransomware remains one of the main threats to information security globally and in the META region. In 2022, the average cost of a ransomware attack was US$4.54 million (according to IBM’s data breach report), and Kaspersky solutions detected over 74.2M attempted ransomware attacks (20% increase to 2021). While the beginning of 2023 saw a decline in the number of ransomware attacks, in Q2 some regions saw an upward trend and even when compared to the same period in 2022. According to Kaspersky Security Network data, in Q2 2023 South Africa saw a 10% increase in ransomware attack attempts on individual and corporate users compared to Q1 2023. All these attempts were blocked by Kaspersky solutions.

Scam and phishing are on the rise globally and in the META region, in particular in Q1 of 2023 South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria all saw an increase in the number of phishing attacks compared to Q1 2022¹. South Africa saw a 7% increase, Kenya an 87% increase and Nigeria a 53% increase in the number of phishing attacks in Q1 2023. A holiday season is usually the time when cybercriminals intensify their activity. The European summer time is not an exception: people are planning their vacations and dreaming of a nice time travelling or on the beach, becoming easy targets of scam campaigns.

While the cybersecurity skills shortage is a global challenge, in Africa there is a pressing need to overcome this as the continent embraces rapid digital transformation. Third-party research conducted in 2022 shows that 75% of companies across the continent are having difficulties recruiting and retaining skilled cybersecurity professionals. This is especially critical given how Africa’s GDP was reduced by more than $4 billion (approximately 10%) in 2021 due to cybercrime.

According to a recent survey by Kaspersky called Digital Superstitions, over a third of respondents (38%) from South Africa do not know what data about them is publicly available on the Internet.

With third-party research showing that 75% of companies across Africa encounter challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals, there is a need to embrace security outsourcing to mitigate against the risk of attacks. Kaspersky experts believe that South African organisations will increasingly turn to managed security services (MSS) in the coming months to strengthen their defensive stance.

As the global community commemorates the United Nations' ‘Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day’ today,  June 27, Kaspersky is calling on SMEs across Africa to rethink their approach to cybersecurity.

The number of Rootkit detections targeting businesses in South Africa grew by 74% in the first five months of 2023. In Kenya, the figure is 52% and in Nigeria 139%.