Nairobi — Kenya has witnessed a sharp rise in cyber threats, with the total number of cyber incidents detected increasing by 27.2 percent to 840.9 million during the second quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year.

Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reveal that malware incidents increased by 0.1 percent to 33.9 million.

The increase in cyber threats is attributed to several types of attacks, with system vulnerabilities leading the charge.

Mobile application attacks also saw a 17.4 percent increase, underlining the expanding attack surface as mobile technology becomes more integral to daily life.

Brute force attacks, however, dropped by 8.8 percent.

A notable 28.9 percent rise in system vulnerabilities, totaling 752.4 million threats, was recorded compared to the previous quarter.

The number of web application attacks also spiked by 29 percent, signaling growing risks in this area.

Other significant threats included a dramatic 726.6 percent rise in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, reaching 15.1 million, highlighting a new challenge for cybersecurity in the region.

"The total number of cyber threats detected during the quarter increased by 27.2 percent to 840.9 million."

In response to this growing threat landscape, Kenya's National KE-CIRT/CC (Kenya Computer Incident Response Team) issued 11.6 million cybersecurity advisories, representing a 20.9 percent increase compared to the previous quarter.

These advisories are critical in alerting businesses and individuals to emerging threats and providing guidance on protective measures.

The rise in cyber threats is a concerning trend for Kenya, particularly as it continues to enhance its digital infrastructure and e-commerce environment.

Kenya continues to witness a surge in cybercrime cases, with CA disclosing that Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven attacks are on the rise.