More than half (56 per cent) of Internet users faced fraud over the past year. Another 45 per cent fell victim to device attacks, social media account hacking, or data leaks.

These findings from a new global Kaspersky survey highlighted a rapidly evolving digital threat landscape where traditional security is no longer enough to protect everyday consumer data.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), more than 6.04 billion people were using the Internet globally by early 2026, which is about 73 per cent of the world’s population. This milestone highlighted unprecedented connectivity but also a persistent digital divide, with around 2.2 billion people still offline.

In Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) puts Internet users at 154 million of the 188 million active telephone users. It should also be noted that there were about 120 million broadband users as of April 2026.

Scams are now more sophisticated than ever. Fraudsters increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate, scale, and refine their malicious attacks. By combining personal data stolen from recent corporate breaches with info-stealer malware and compromised accounts, criminals craft hyper-targeted messages. They easily impersonate trusted contacts, make fraudulent schemes highly convincing, and build realistic fake online shops designed to steal financial credentials.

According to Kaspersky, threats now lurk in almost every digital interaction, including everyday emails, messengers, social media platforms, online stores, and mobile apps. It said criminals also weaponise major global events and emerging trends as immediate footholds. For instance, Kaspersky recently detected a massive surge in scam activity surrounding the 2026 World Cup.

Fraudsters quickly launched malicious resources mimicking official tournament websites to trap unsuspecting football fans. The scale of the issue is immense: in Q1 2026 alone, Kaspersky anti-phishing technologies blocked over 140 million phishing and scam attempts globally, underscoring how pervasive this web threat has truly become.

To counter these advanced, rapidly evolving tactics, Kaspersky has consolidated its defence tools into a dedicated, AI-powered Scam Protection block inside its Windows and macOS applications. New visual AI labels mark this group of features, giving users immediate clarity and greater confidence regarding how the software secures every aspect of their digital interactions. On mobile devices, these platform-tailored protection technologies continue to run seamlessly in the background to ensure constant security.

The updated Kaspersky Premium ecosystem mitigates financial and identity risks across all user devices by utilising three core pillars: Identity Defence (Data leak and identity theft checkers warn users instantly if their private personal information is exposed online or on the dark web).

Credential Security (Kaspersky Password Manager ensures all login credentials remain unique, strong, and heavily encrypted against brute-force attacks).
Real-Time Analysis (System Watcher uses advanced app behaviour monitoring and pattern recognition in real time to block fake crypto schemes and malicious activity).