Backdoor malware attacks on systems of Indian small and medium businesses (SMBs) rose 52.1 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, PTI reported via The Hindu BusinessLine. Kaspersky Security Network data showed 4.52 lakh backdoors were detected between January and June, up from 2.97 lakh in H1 2025 and 4.08 lakh in H2 2025, the report said.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

The exact detection count was 4,52,351 in H1 2026, compared with 2,97,412 in H1 2025 and 4,08,244 in H2 2025, a rise in each of the last three half-years, CXOtoday and Digital Terminal reported, citing the same Kaspersky data. A backdoor lets attackers bypass normal authentication to gain hidden remote access, return at will to steal data, move deeper into a network or launch further attacks, Kaspersky said.

Source: CXOtoday

Attacks on Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) stood at 37,38,051 in H1 2026, or about 20,650 attempts a day, 26.3 per cent lower than H1 2025, PTI and Digital Terminal reported. Exploit detections fell 35.1 per cent year-on-year to 4,63,997, the reports said.

Source: Digital Terminal

Even so, software exploits rank among the most damaging threats SMBs face, named alongside phishing, mass malware and ransomware as the most harmful incidents in Kaspersky's latest global SMB survey, PTI reported. The findings came days after CERT-In issued a critical advisory on October 15, the report noted.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine