Online crimes surged to Sh455 billion in 2024, report reveals

The total number of reported online crimes surged to $3.5 billion (Sh455 billion) in 2024, nearly twice the figure from the previous year, driven largely by the emergence of two new types of cyber threats.

According to the report, these included brute force attacks, where automated systems relentlessly try countless password combinations to gain unauthorized access, and mobile application attacks, which exploit weaknesses in mobile apps to steal user data or disrupt functionality.

In 2024, Kenyans experienced a surge in cyber threats, with 127.8 million brute force attacks and 526,400 incidents targeting mobile applications, according to the Economic Survey 2025, drawing data from the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Additional cyber risks recorded during the year included malware infections, botnet and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, web application threats, and system vulnerabilities.

Malware—short for malicious software—encompasses harmful programs like viruses and spyware that infiltrate systems to steal information, disrupt operations, spy on users, or take control of digital infrastructure.

Botnets involve networks of devices or computers covertly infected with malware and remotely controlled by cybercriminals.

These networks are often used to execute DDoS attacks, which flood systems such as servers with overwhelming traffic from multiple sources, rendering them inaccessible to legitimate users.

Moreover, cybersecurity alerts in Kenya rose sharply, with the number of advisories increasing by 48% to reach 39 million in 2024.

Cybersecurity advisories are crucial communications that highlight emerging cyber threats, system vulnerabilities, or security breaches.

These notices typically outline the nature of the threat, its possible effects on digital infrastructure, recommended countermeasures, and technical specifications such as affected software versions, Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), and available patches.

Such advisories are generally issued by entities like governmental bodies, cybersecurity firms, and sector-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs).

According to a recent report, malware-related advisories more than doubled, rising from 1.1 million in 2023 to 2.5 million in 2024.

Similarly, advisories concerning web application attacks witnessed a dramatic increase, more than tripling from around 3.9 million to 13.6 million over the same period.

In contrast, reports on system vulnerabilities declined by 11.3%, while those related to botnet and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) incidents fell by 28 percent in 2024.

Despite these cyber threats, the nation experienced a positive trajectory in ICT adoption between 2020 and 2024, measured both against the general population and individuals aged three years and older.

This growth was largely driven by the widespread use of mobile data for internet access and the introduction of high-capacity satellite internet services.

To illustrate, the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 people increased from 129.5 in 2023 to 136.1 in 2024.

Wireless internet subscriptions also rose from 99.6 to 107.9 per 100 inhabitants over the same period.

Moreover, national internet penetration rates—spanning both wireless and fixed connections—reached 110.3 subscriptions per 100 people in 2024, up from 101.6 the previous year.

Additionally, per capita bandwidth (measured in bits per second) saw a dramatic rise, jumping from 223,800 in 2023 to about 26.8 million in 2024.

Nevertheless, the benefits of increased bandwidth capacity may not be fully realised by all users, due to limitations such as high subscription costs and restricted service availability, which often cater to more exclusive market segments.

Wireless broadband access per 100 people—covering technologies like Wi-Fi, satellite, mobile, and fixed wireless—climbed to 83.6 in 2024, up from 71.4 in the previous year.

Meanwhile, fixed and wired broadband subscriptions also recorded growth, rising to 86.0 in 2024 from 73.4 in 2023.

The report further notes an uptick in mobile money usage and subscription rates relative to the population aged three and above, with modest increases in mobile and internet use on a per-person basis.

"Mobile money subscriptions per 100 individuals grew to 80.7 in 2024, compared to 73.8 in 2023," the report indicated.