Global cybersecurity leader Kaspersky has issued a stark warning for the telecommunications industry, predicting that advanced cyber threats will intensify in 2026. The firm's latest security bulletin indicates that while the sector accelerates the rollout of new technologies, it will simultaneously face heightened risks from sophisticated attackers.
Key Threat Landscape for 2025 and Beyond
According to the Kaspersky Security Bulletin, the dangers that defined telecom cybersecurity throughout 2025 are set to continue. These existing threats are now converging with new operational risks born from artificial intelligence automation, the shift to post-quantum cryptography, and the blending of satellite and terrestrial networks.
The report outlines four major threat categories that dominated the past year. The most prominent are Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) campaigns. These involve highly skilled attackers seeking long-term, hidden access to operator networks for espionage, surveillance, or to gain strategic advantage by embedding within core infrastructure.
"Telecom networks remain uniquely attractive targets because of their privileged position in national communications ecosystems," Kaspersky stated. A successful intrusion can grant attackers sweeping visibility across voice, data, and critical signalling traffic.
Supply-chain compromises persisted as a major weakness. Telecom operators rely on a vast ecosystem of vendors, software, contractors, and managed services. Vulnerabilities in common third-party tools can offer hackers a backdoor into operator systems, often bypassing traditional perimeter defences entirely.
Furthermore, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks continue to challenge network availability. Kaspersky notes these attacks have grown in both scale and sophistication, forcing operators to view them not just as security incidents, but as serious capacity-management problems that can degrade customer experience and disrupt essential services.
Concerning Data and Emerging Risk Areas for 2026
Data from the Kaspersky Security Network reveals the scale of the challenge. Between November 2024 and October 2025, a significant 12.79% of users in the telecom sector encountered web-based threats. Even more alarming, 20.76% faced on-device malware. Globally, 9.86% of telecom organisations experienced ransomware attacks during this period, underscoring the sector's constant exposure to financially motivated cybercrime.
Looking ahead, Kaspersky warns that the industry's move from innovation to mass deployment of new tech could introduce fresh vulnerabilities. Three areas are of particular concern:
First is AI-assisted network management. As operators use more automation to optimise performance, errors or manipulated data could be amplified. Poorly governed AI systems risk making confidently incorrect decisions that disrupt services or weaken security.
Second is the transition to post-quantum cryptography. While necessary to future-proof networks against quantum computing, a rushed or uneven rollout of hybrid cryptographic methods could lead to interoperability issues, performance bottlenecks, and security gaps.
Third is the integration of 5G with satellite systems, or Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN). While promising greater coverage and resilience, this expansion introduces new partners, interfaces, and potential points of failure that could be exploited if security is not a foundational priority.
Expert Insight and Recommended Actions
"The threats that dominated 2025, which include APT campaigns, supply-chain attacks and DDoS floods, aren’t going away. But now they intersect with operational risks from AI automation, quantum-ready cryptography and satellite integration. Telecom operators need visibility across both dimensions," said Leonid Bezvershenko, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team.
To counter these risks, Kaspersky urges a more integrated approach to security and resilience. Their recommendations include:
- Continuous monitoring of the APT landscape and telecom infrastructure using threat intelligence tools.
- Regular security awareness training for all staff members.
- Treating AI-driven network automation as a formal change-management programme, with staged rollouts, clear rollback plans, and human oversight for critical decisions.
- For DDoS threats, validating upstream mitigation capabilities, protecting edge routing infrastructure, and monitoring early congestion signals.
The message for telecom operators in Nigeria and worldwide is clear: as the network evolves, so must the strategy to defend it.
