Offline cyber attacks hit 1 in 3 Indian PC users in 2025

Disconnecting from the internet is no longer a guarantee of safety, as nearly one in three computer users in India faced offline cyber attacks in 2025, according to a report by Kaspersky.

The report revealed that the company detected and blocked over 6.46 crore local cyber incidents in the country between January and December 2025. These threats were primarily spread through offline sources such as USB drives and other removable storage devices, highlighting the growing risks beyond internet-based attacks.

Data from the Kaspersky Security Network showed that 29.8 per cent of users in India encountered such threats. Worms and file viruses accounted for a significant portion of these attacks, making India one of the top 80 countries globally affected by local cyber threat exposure.

Experts noted that the rise of remote and hybrid work environments has increased dependence on external devices, which cybercriminals are actively exploiting. Attackers are also mimicking popular collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive to trick users into downloading malicious files, leading to theft of login credentials, banking data, and other sensitive information.

Globally, cyber threat trends showed a sharp rise, with password-stealing malware increasing by 59 per cent and spyware detections growing by 51 per cent. In the Asia Pacific region, there was also a notable surge in malicious files capable of remotely executing commands and extracting confidential data from compromised devices.