Business
Backdoor computer malware in Africa skyrocketed in the second quarter of 2022
South Africa saw the most significant increase in backdoor detections from Q1 to Q2 – by 140% to 11,872 cases, with the share of affected users increasing by 10%
LAGOS, Nigeria, August 17, 2022/APO Group/ —
According to Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) Security Network data for corporate users, the number of backdoor computer malware detected in Q2 2022 in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria increased significantly compared to the previous quarter, hitting new records and posing challenges to cybersecurity professionals in enterprise and government agencies.
A backdoor is one of the most dangerous types of malware. Backdoors provide cybercriminals with remote administration of a victim’s machine. Unlike legitimate remote administration utilities, backdoors install, launch and run invisibly, without the consent or knowledge of the user. Once installed, backdoors can be instructed to send, receive, execute and delete files, harvest confidential data from the computer, log activity and more.
Backdoors enable a series of long unnoticed cyberespionage campaigns, which result in significant financial or reputational losses
Recently Kaspersky discovered a hard-to-detect backdoor (https://bit.ly/3K1GnTV) dubbed SessionManager that targeted governments and NGOs around the globe. This backdoor was set up as a malicious module within the Internet Information Services (IIS), a popular web server edited by Microsoft. SessionManager enables a wide range of malicious activities from collecting emails to complete control over the victim’s infrastructure. First leveraged in March 2021, this backdoor hit government institutions and NGOs in Africa, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Many of the targeted organisations remain at risk.
South Africa saw the most significant increase in backdoor detections from Q1 to Q2 – by 140% to 11,872 cases, with the share of affected users increasing by 10%. It was followed by Nigeria – backdoor detection saw a significant increase of 83% to 2,624 cases, with the share of affected users increasing by 24%. In Kenya the number of detections increased in Q2 to 10,300 (53% increase from Q1), and the share of users affected by backdoors increased by 11%.
“Backdoors enable a series of long unnoticed cyberespionage campaigns, which result in significant financial or reputational losses and may disrupt the victim organisation’s operations. Corporate systems should be constantly audited and carefully monitored for hidden threats,” comments Dr. Amin Hasbini, Head of Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), Middle East, Türkiye and Africa region at Kaspersky. “Gaining insights into active cyberthreats is paramount for companies to protect their assets, and threat intelligence is the only component that can enable reliable and timely anticipation of complex backdoors. Threat intelligence powers Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack platform, with which is an ultimate endpoint detection and response solution that delivers all-in-one protection against complex and targeted attacks. It gives cybersecurity teams full visibility of the network, web, email, PCs, laptops, servers and virtual machines in public clouds.”
To protect your organisation from backdoors, Kaspersky experts recommend:
- Focus your defense strategy on detecting lateral movements and data exfiltration to the Internet. Pay special attention to outgoing traffic to detect cybercriminal connections. Back up data regularly. Make sure you can quickly access it in an emergency.
- Use a solution like Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack (https://bit.ly/3dB4HQp) with extended EDR at its core, which helps to identify and stop backdoor attacks in the early stages, before the attackers achieve their goals.
- Use a reliable endpoint security solution, such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business (KESB) (https://bit.ly/3QxuCH8) that is powered by exploit prevention, behaviour detection and a remediation engine that is able to roll back malicious actions. KESB also has self-defense mechanisms that can prevent its removal by cybercriminals.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.
Events
As global power structures shift, Invest Africa convenes The Africa Debate 2026 to redefine partnership in a changing world
The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation
Now in its 12th year, The Africa Debate has established itself as London’s premier platform for African investment dialogue since launching in 2014, convening over 800 global decision-makers annually to shape the future of trade, finance, investment, and development across the continent.
Under the theme “Redefining Partnership: Navigating a World in Transition”, this year’s forum will focus on Africa’s response to global economic realignment with greater agency, ambition and economic sovereignty.
The Africa Debate puts Africa’s priorities at the centre of the conversation, moving beyond traditional narratives to focus on ownership, resilience and long-term value creation.
“Volatility is not new to Africa. What is changing is the opportunity to respond with greater agency and ambition,” says Invest Africa CEO Chantelé Carrington.
“This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy — so African economies can take greater ownership of their growth. Success will be defined by how effectively we turn disruption into leverage and partnership into shared value.”
The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation.
Key challenges driving the debate
Core focus areas for this year’s edition of The Africa Debate include:
This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy
Global Realignment & New Partnerships
How shifting geopolitical and economic power structures are reshaping Africa’s global partnerships, trade dynamics and investment landscape.
Financing Africa’s Future
The growing need to reform the global financial architecture, new approaches to development finance, as well as the strengthening of market access and financial resilience of African economies in a changing global system.
Strategic Value Chains
Moving beyond primary exports to build local value chains in critical minerals for the green economy. Also addressing Africa’s energy access gap and mobilising investment in renewable and transitional energy systems.
Digital Transformation & Technology
Unlocking growth in fintech, AI and digital infrastructure to drive productivity, inclusion, and the next phase of Africa’s economic transformation.
The Africa Debate 2026 offers a unique platform for high-level dialogue, deal-making, and strategic engagement. Attendees will gain actionable insights from leading policymakers, investors and business leaders shaping Africa’s economic future, while building strategic partnerships that define the continent’s next growth phase.
Registration is now open (http://apo-opa.co/46b19gj).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invest Africa.
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