E-Business
Kaspersky Uncovers Cyber Threats Defining the First Half of 2026 in Nigeria, Others
Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) reveals key cyber threat trends for the first half of 2026 at the recent Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa region (META).
As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, cyberthreats are becoming increasingly diverse and sophisticated. The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with ongoing geopolitical and economic instability, is contributing to the rise of cybercrime and the growing complexity of cyberattacks.
According to Kaspersky’s telemetry, online threats exploiting vulnerabilities in websites, emails and web services continued to affect millions of users across the META region during the first half of 2026.
Specifically, Kaspersky detection systems stopped 1,6M attacks from various online resources in Nigeria. Turkiye recorded the highest percentage of users affected by web-based threats at 22.8%, followed by Kenya (21.2%), Qatar (19.3%), Nigeria (18.4%) and South Africa (17.2%). In contrast, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan registered the lowest share of users targeted by web-borne attacks in the region.
AI is transforming attacker operations
Kaspersky experts report that threat actors are increasingly integrating AI into different stages of their operations. Large language models are already being used to generate phishing emails, malicious code and supporting operational content.
AI is also beginning to play a larger role in malware development. Modern language models are capable of generating substantial portions of malicious software, from initial code scaffolding to functional modules.
Researchers have already observed AI-assisted malware development in campaigns linked to the FunkSec group, which deployed Rust-based malware capable of data theft, encryption and process manipulation. Similarly, during the RevengeHotels campaign in 2025, threat actors used large language models to generate portions of the infector and downloader code.
“We expect AI to remain one of the key factors shaping the threat landscape in 2026, as we already see how it is reshaping attacker workflows and accelerating their operations,” said Sergey Lozhkin, Head of Global Research and Analysis Team in APAC and META regions at Kaspersky. “By lowering the time and cost required to develop and adapt malicious tools, AI allows threat actors to iterate faster and scale their efforts. Defenders should be prepared for quicker shifts in tactics.”
Emerging trends shaping the cyber threat landscape
In addition to the growing use of AI by cybercriminals, Kaspersky experts identified several trends that organisations should monitor closely:
- AI-driven malware evolution: generative models can rewrite malware in different languages or architectures, making malicious code harder to detect, and faster to deploy at scale.
- Cloud-based data exfiltration: attackers increasingly route stolen data through legitimate cloud and file-sharing services to blend in with normal traffic.
- Ransomware targeting operations: some groups disrupt production and business processes, not just encrypt data, to increase pressure for payment.
- AI agents as persistence mechanisms: some AI agent solutions are granted broad or even full system access. If compromised, attackers could modify the system prompt or the agent’s configuration, for example, causing it to download a payload on every startup.
- Malicious AI skills become a new attack vector: as AI agents gain broader access to enterprise systems, attackers start to exploit compromised skills to manipulate agent behaviour, steal sensitive data, execute unauthorised actions, and establish persistent access. This creates a new layer of risk where trusted AI tools can be turned into powerful mechanisms for cyberattacks.
As cyberthreats continue to evolve alongside emerging technologies, Kaspersky recommends that organisations strengthen their cybersecurity posture through continuous vulnerability management, timely patching, employee awareness training, threat intelligence, and advanced security solutions like Kaspersky Next, capable of detecting sophisticated and AI-assisted attacks.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced a forensic investigation into the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lotus Bank and Hackerbella Ltd over alleged violations of data protection laws involving students’ personal information.
The investigation follows public complaints alleging that students’ personal data were used to open bank accounts without a lawful basis.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer of the NDPC, directed the investigation team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the collection, processing, use and disclosure of the affected students’ personal data.
The investigation will also determine the respective roles and responsibilities of UNILAG, Lotus Bank and Hackerbella in the alleged processing of the data.
According to the Commission, the investigation will assess the data protection compliance obligations of the parties under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), as well as potential risks posed to the rights and freedoms of the affected data subjects.
The NDPC said the probe would cover several areas, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), the lawfulness and transparency of credit scoring or profiling activities, and the use of automated decision-making systems.
It will also examine the adequacy of privacy notices, data-sharing arrangements, lawful bases for processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
Other areas include data retention policies and the adequacy of technical and organisational measures put in place to safeguard the rights and personal data of affected students.
The Commission reiterated that institutions entrusted with the personal data of students, staff and other members of their communities have a heightened responsibility to ensure that such information is processed lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely.
The NDPC therefore warned educational institutions that are yet to comply with its existing data protection compliance directives to take immediate steps to achieve compliance.
The Commission said it would continue to exercise its regulatory mandate to protect the privacy rights of Nigerians and ensure that organisations processing personal data comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
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