Nairobi — Cybersecurity threats in Kenya rose sharply in the last quarter of 2025, highlighting growing risks as the digital economy expands.

Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya shows that detected cyber threat events jumped to 4.56 billion between October and December 2025, up from 842.3 million in the previous quarter.

The authority said the spike--representing a 441 percent increase--was driven by weak system patching, low user awareness of phishing attacks, and increased use of artificial intelligence by cybercriminals.

"The KE-CIRT/CC detected 4.6 billion cyber threat events during the quarter under review," the report noted.

System vulnerabilities accounted for the bulk of incidents at 4.37 billion, while Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks surged more than elevenfold over the period.

The rise in threats coincides with rapid growth in internet usage, smartphone penetration, and mobile broadband consumption, which has expanded the attack surface for malicious actors.

In response, the regulator issued 21.8 million cybersecurity advisories, a 9.3 percent increase, as it stepped up efforts to mitigate risks.

The authority is now urging stronger security measures, including multi-factor authentication, improved firewall configurations, and regular system updates to reduce exposure.