Kaspersky 1Q 2025 insights reveal impact of local and global servers on Sri Lanka’s cybersecurity

Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, has revealed important insights into the origins of online threats affecting users worldwide, including those in Sri Lanka. When a Kaspersky customer encounters an online threat, the company records the geographic location of the server hosting the malicious content detected by its security systems. This data sheds light on the global and local distribution of cyberattack origins, highlighting how compromised or maliciously-used infrastructure across different countries shapes the threat landscape for users everywhere.Globally, servers in the Netherlands hosted the largest share of cyber threats detected, accounting for 46.37 percent of incidents. Servers in Germany, Russia, Poland and Singapore rounded out the top hosting locations. The geographic distribution reflects compromised infrastructure patterns rather than the actual locations of cybercriminal operations.

Based on data collected between January and March 2025, servers located in Sri Lanka wereresponsible for 0.02% of cyber incidents detected by Kaspersky’s systems, amounting to 81,284 incidents during this period. This places Sri Lanka 60th worldwide in terms of the share of incidents involving local server infrastructure. While this share is relatively small compared to global leaders, it highlights the presence of compromised or maliciously used infrastructure within the country, posing additional risks for the local digital ecosystem.Although the percentage of incidents involving servers in Sri Lanka ranks lower than the global leaders,the data underscores the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity vigilance both at the local andinternational levels. Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in web services and hijacked servers to launch attacks, often without the awareness of legitimate operators, resulting in threats that include malwaredistribution, phishing, and exploit campaigns.

“The global nature of cyber threats means that no country is immune, and Sri Lanka is no exception,”said Sam Yan, Head of Sales for Asia Emerging Countries at Kaspersky. “Understanding that threatscan originate both abroad and from local servers highlights why organizations must adoptcomprehensive, real-time cybersecurity measures to safeguard their systems and data.”Kaspersky identifies and blocks these threats by scanning and analyzing data streams from serversworldwide, providing proactive protection that helps prevent malware infections and other cyber risksbefore they can impact users.

As cybercrime continues to increase in sophistication, businesses and individuals in Sri Lanka are urged to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. Combating cyber threats requires not only advanced security solutions but also greater awareness of the evolving tactics used by attackers at both the local and global levels.