Cyber threats are rising sharply in Nigeria, with password-stealer infections up 66% and spyware attacks climbing 53% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The warning comes from Kaspersky, which is releasing fresh data ahead of its participation at GITEX Nigeria on September 3–4 in Lagos.
The wider sub-Saharan region paints an even grimmer picture. Between January and June 2025, there were 42.4 million web attacks and 95.6 million device-based threats. Spyware detections more than doubled, password-stealer attacks rose 64%, and backdoor infections grew by 12%.
In Nigeria alone, Kaspersky blocked 1.46 million online attack attempts, targeting nearly one in five users. A further 4.97 million on-device infections were intercepted, with 28.6% of users hit by threats delivered through USB drives, fake installers, and other offline vectors. These included ransomware, worms, trojans, spyware, and password stealers.
Overall, phishing detections dropped 52%, but financially motivated scams spiked 46%. Kaspersky logged over 595,000 finance-related phishing attempts in Nigeria, targeting banks, e-commerce platforms, and payment systems. Exploits targeting Microsoft Office and other popular apps remain a persistent risk.
Industrial systems also came under heavy fire. In the first half of 2025, 26.5% of Nigeria’s Industrial Control Systems (ICS) computers were attacked, with malware such as worms and viruses threatening critical sectors like power, engineering, and construction. Africa overall remains one of the regions with the highest rates of malicious activity on ICS systems.
Click to signupKaspersky’s General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Chris Norton, warned that the growing digital shift is expanding opportunities for criminals. “Every day, more people in Africa and in Nigeria specifically are moving their businesses, banking, and even daily errands online. 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.”
At GITEX Nigeria, Kaspersky will respond with hands-on workshops and simulations. The global cybersecurity company plans to include workshops on real-time threat monitoring, cloud security, and workforce awareness. Attendees will also take part in the Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS), which tests responses to real-world cyber incidents.
The firm is also continuing its local partnerships, including a recent MoU with Nigeria’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) to boost SME resilience.
Norton explained: “Our role at GITEX Nigeria builds on that. For us, it is about supporting Nigeria and the broader region so that digital growth goes hand in hand with digital safety.”This will be the first GITEX Nigeria, coming two years after Morocco hosted the inaugural GITEX Africa in 2023 — the first edition of the global exhibition held outside Dubai. That event underscored Africa’s rising digital profile, attracting startups, investors, and governments eager to position the continent as the next growth market.
