Malware attacks in Kenya have dropped 13 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year, , a new research by Kaspersky has revealed.
South Africa was the most targeted with (32 million attacks), followed by Kenya (28.3million), Nigeria (16.7 million) and Ethiopia (8 million).
All countries but Kenya saw the relative growth of all malware attacks.
Ethiopia and Nigeria have seen an increase of 20 per cent and 23 per cent respectively and South Africa an increase of 14 per cent, while Kenya’s number of attacks decreased by 13 per cent.
“Malware attacks have been on the increase in Africa recording a 5 per cent increase this year compared to the same period last year,” the cybersecurity firm noted
The research revealed that the attacks are on the rise in the region as cybercriminals have continued to focus on African countries considering digital transformation advancements.
“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,” says Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa.
The 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.
It also recommended keeping operation systems and applications always updated with the latest patches.
