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Offline cyberattacks surge in India: 1 in 3 PC users targeted, 64 million threats blocked in 2025
A new report reveals a worrying rise in offline cyberattacks in India, with nearly one-third of PC users targeted in 2025. Over 64.6 million local cyber threats—mainly via USB devices—were blocked, highlighting growing risks even without internet connectivity.
Cybersecurity is a massive concern in India, and there is a twist: staying offline will not save you. A new report from Kaspersky points out something a lot of people overlook—offline cyberattacks are becoming a big problem. In 2025, 1 out of every 3 PC users in India ran into a cyber threat, even when they weren’t connected to the internet. So, disconnecting from Wi-Fi just isn’t enough anymore.
Over 64 million attacks blocked in 2025
Just between January and December 2025, Kaspersky picked up and blocked more than 64.6 million local attacks in India. Most of these threats came in through USB drives, pen drives, or other external storage devices. Because of this spike, India now sits among the top 80 countries hit hardest by offline cyber threats.
Nearly 30 per cent of users face offline risks
According to Kaspersky Security Network’s data, almost three in ten Indian users—about 29.8 per cent- ran into offline threats. The main culprits here are worms, which spread themselves from device to device, and file viruses that latch onto files. Plug in an infected device, and the malware jumps right into your system.
Fake apps are fooling users
Attackers are getting sneakier. Adrian Hia, Kaspersky’s Asia Pacific Managing Director, says some hackers are now copying popular tools like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive. They are building a number of fake versions of these apps, which is tricking innocent people into downloading malware. This would result in stolen banking info, personal data and other sensitive personal details.
Spyware and password theft are climbing fast
There is more bad news– the report shows a global spike in advanced attacks: password-stealing cases have shot up by 59 per cent, and spyware incidents are up by 51 per cent.
Spyware is especially nasty since it sits quietly on your machine, watching everything you do and grabbing your private data without raising any alarms.
How to stay safe
Threats do not stop when you unplug. If you are not careful, offline systems can get hit too.
Here is how you could stay safe:
- Do not use random USBs or drives you don’t trust.
- Install reliable antivirus software and keep it updated.
- Never download apps from unverified sources.
- Update your system security regularly.
Staying smart and alert is more important than ever.