Disconnecting from the internet is no longer enough to stay safe from cyberattacks. Nearly one in three computer users in India faced local, on-device cyber threats in 2025, with Kaspersky detecting and blocking more than 64.6 million incidents spread primarily through USB drives and removable media, according to a new report from the cybersecurity firm released this week.
The data from Kaspersky Security Network shows that 29.8 percent of PC users in India encountered offline threats during the January–December 2025 period, with worms and file viruses accounting for a large share of the attacks. The volume of incidents placed India among the top 80 most affected countries globally for local cyber threat exposure.
“As remote and hybrid work environments have become normalised, cybercriminals are persistent in exploiting the removable devices and tools people rely on every day,” said Adrian Hia, Kaspersky’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific. He noted that in 2025, attackers mimicked popular collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive to trick users into downloading malware aimed at stealing login credentials, banking information, and personal data.
Globally, Kaspersky reported an average of 500,000 malicious files discovered daily in 2025, marking a 7 percent increase over the prior year. Password stealer detections rose 59 percent worldwide, while spyware detections increased 51 percent compared to 2024. The Asia Pacific region recorded a notable rise in malware designed to remotely execute commands and extract confidential data from devices.
The offline threat trends followed Kaspersky’s earlier findings from March showing that 24.7 percent of internet users in India also faced web-based threats in 2025, with 47.5 million online attacks blocked across the country. India ranked 62nd globally for web-borne threat exposure, with users encountering around 130,000 web threats daily. Jaydeep Singh, Kaspersky’s General Manager for India, cautioned that phishing campaigns increasingly blend email, messaging, and phone channels to deceive victims and steal personal information for financial theft.
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