Cyber attacks on Nigerian SMEs hit 89% increase in 2022

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria are facing higher cyber dangers, with attacks up 89 percent year over year.

This was revealed by Kaspersky, a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus supplier, who noted that when a small business owner is dealing with production, financial reports, and marketing at the same time, worrying about cybersecurity is an unneeded difficulty.

According to Kaspersky researchers, who compared the dynamics of attacks on SMEs from January to April 2022 to the same time in 2021, these risks are becoming more dangerous to entrepreneurs.

When compared to the same period in 2021, the number of Trojan-Password Stealing Ware (PSW) detections in Nigeria more than doubled in 2022, with 2654 detections compared to 1076 in 2021.

Trojan-PSW is a piece of malware that collects passwords and other account information, allowing attackers to gain access to a company’s network and steal sensitive data.

Another common attack tactic used on small firms, according to the cyber security firm, is Internet attacks, primarily web pages. While the frequency of these attacks in Nigeria fell in the first four months of 2022 (56,836 infections in 2022 compared to 99,146 infections in 2021), the report stated that Internet attacks remain a worry and must be defended against.

Many firms have implemented the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a technology that allows computers on the same corporate network to be linked together and accessed remotely, even when employees are at home, as part of the shift to remote working. In Nigeria, the number of attacks against RDP has climbed by 89 percent.

In the first four months of 2021, Kaspersky detected and prevented 161,000 RDP attacks across the country. In the same period in 2022, the number of attacks increased to 303,500.

Attack visualisation is possible with a particular security solution, and IT administrators have a convenient tool for event investigation. The earlier they can figure out where and how a leak happens, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with any bad consequences.

The new edition of Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud, named Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud Pro, according to the company, includes powerful new capabilities such as automated response choices and a broader set of security controls in a single package.

For IT professionals looking to improve their cybersecurity abilities and get the most out of their specialized security equipment, the Pro version offers built-in training.

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