Ahead of the International Day of Families, observed on May 15, Kaspersky experts analysed cyberthreats that use popular family-focused brands, such as Disney, LEGO, Toca Boca and others as bait. The research, based on selected keywords monitoring, revealed a steady rise in attack attempts, which increased by 38% from Q2 2024 to Q1 2025.

Kaspersky telemetry shows a consistent upward trend in the number of attempted attacks exploiting children – and family-related brands. Starting from just 89,000 in Q2 2024, the number of attacks has increased quarter by quarter, reaching almost 123,000 in Q1 2025. Throughout the reported period, Kaspersky detected over 432,000 such attempts.

Among the most frequently exploited brands throughout the reported period were LEGO, Disney and Toca Boca — all widely recognised and trusted by children and parents alike. LEGO-themed content accounted for the overwhelming majority of attacks, with over 306,000 attempts, followed by Disney (62,000) and Toca Boca (45,000).

Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig were also used as popular lures, though to a lesser extent — 12,500 and 4,900 attempted attacks. Cybercriminals exploit the popularity and emotional familiarity of these brands to trick users into downloading malicious files, often disguised as cartoons or games. The more popular the brand is, the more attractive it becomes as a hook for threat actors.

Kaspersky’s analysis shows that the most common threats targeting children and families are not always the most obvious ones. Throughout the reported period, nearly 400,000 infection attempts were linked to Downloaders — software that may appear harmless but is often used to silently deliver other potentially dangerous applications. These downloaders are frequently disguised as games, videos, or installers related to popular brands, making them especially effective at tricking users.

Furthermore, over 7,800 cases involved Trojans, which can steal sensitive data, monitor activity or grant remote access to attackers. These are particularly dangerous when hiding inside seemingly innocent files, such as cheats or fan-made apps.

Meanwhile, adware accounted for over 6,400 attempted attacks, typically appearing as flashy games or video apps that bombard users with unwanted ads, slowing down devices and potentially opening the door to additional threats.

As part of the analysis, Kaspersky researchers identified multiple scam and phishing websites mimicking the design and branding of popular among family companies. One notable example was a phishing page crafted to resemble the official Tokyo Disney Resort website.

Such scams are often indistinguishable from legitimate pages at first glance, with the only difference being the URL of the website. The fraudulent site offered users the chance to “buy” park tickets, just like the real one, and prompted them to enter their personal and payment information. However, instead of securing a magical day at the theme park, victims could have their bank card details stolen.

Another discovery made by Kaspersky researchers involved scams exploiting the name of MrBeast — a YouTube celebrity widely followed by children and teens, and well-known for giving away expensive prizes like gadgets, money and even houses. Cybercriminals created phishing pages promising “free gifts from MrBeast,” including digital gift cards for platforms such as Roblox, Xbox and PlayStation.

The site prompted users to choose their prize and complete a seemingly harmless task to claim it. To increase urgency, a countdown timer was displayed, urging visitors to “complete a sponsored activity” within a limited time to unlock the final reward code.

The entire process is a tactic designed to redirect victims to increasingly deceptive scam pages. Eventually, users are asked to pay a small commission fee to claim their “gift”. However, after submitting the payment, the victim may be left with no reward and may have lost money.

“Cybercriminals are masters of emotional manipulation — and there is hardly anything more emotionally charged than content children trust and love. By imitating popular brands or influencers like MrBeast, attackers create a sense of familiarity and excitement that lowers users’ guard. That’s why it’s essential for parents to stay informed and teach kids how to question ‘too-good-to-be-true’ offers before clicking,” comments Evgeny Kuskov, Security Expert at Kaspersky.

Airtel Africa is positioning its mobile money platform, Airtel Money, to challenge Africa’s fintech giants through a planned initial public offering set for the first half of 2026,  Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer said in the company’s latest financial results.

The IPO will bolster Airtel Money’s ability to compete with dominant players like Safaricom’s M-Pesa and MTN’s MoMo in the continent’s rapidly growing fintech market.

The operator’s fintech unit, operating across 14 African countries including Nigeria, has grown its subscriber base by 17.3 per cent year-on-year to 44.6 million active users as of early 2025, according to the company’s first-quarter financial results.

The mobile money platform provides critical financial services to millions of unbanked users, enabling digital transactions, credit access, and remittances via mobile phones.

This focus on financial inclusion aligns with Airtel Africa’s mission to drive economic prosperity and transform lives across its markets.

“We are making significant progress in our preparations for the Airtel Money IPO and remain committed to this objective,” Taldar said, underscoring the strategic importance of the listing.

He cautioned that the IPO remains subject to market conditions, adding, “Therefore, subject to these conditions, we anticipate a listing event in the first half of the calendar year 2026.”

The IPO is expected to raise capital to scale Airtel Money’s operations and sharpen its competitive edge.

Safaricom’s M-Pesa, with 70 million users across Africa and a stronghold in Kenya, remains the market leader, while MTN’s MoMo commands 65 million active users, particularly in West and Central Africa.

However, MoMo’s Nigerian arm, MoMo PSB, saw a 55.6 per cent year-on-year decline in active wallets, dropping to 2.1 million in Q1 2025, a vulnerability Airtel’s fintech unit could capitalise on.

Airtel Money’s growth strategy hinges on leveraging its expanding user base and innovative services to close the gap with its rivals.

The platform’s ability to empower underserved communities through accessible financial tools positions it as a key player in Africa’s fintech frontier.

Taldar emphasised the company’s broader vision, stating, “We will remain focused on delivering our strategy to transform the lives of our customers and support economic prosperity across our markets.”

Expressing gratitude to stakeholders, Taldar noted, “I want to say a particular thank-you to our customers, partners, governments, and regulators for their support and our employees for their unrelenting contribution to the business.” This collaborative effort underpins Airtel Africa’s confidence as it advances toward the 2026 IPO.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has partnered with private sector ICT firms to explore the use of adaptive regulatory sandboxes that can support the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into data protection frameworks while enabling cross-border innovation.

This was revealed during a one-day workshop held in Abuja titled “Co-Creation Lab on Africa Sandboxes for AI”. The event also featured the evaluation of the African Sandbox Outlook report.

The workshop focused on how regulatory sandboxes could serve as safe testing environments for AI technologies and foster data-driven innovation on the continent.

Speaking at the event, National Commissioner of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, said the commission is actively examining the role of regulatory sandboxes as part of its mandate under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

Represented by Ms. Adaobi Nwankwo, Head of the Commission’s Innovation Unit, Olatunji said: “Sandboxes aim to encourage responsible AI, foster compliance with the NDPA, and promote trust, fairness, accountability, and transparency.

“The goal is to create a competitive environment for AI developers and data scientists while addressing Africa’s unique challenges.”

He noted that a functional regulatory sandbox would need to operate within real-time legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure effective testing of AI and data-driven solutions.

 Also speaking at the workshop, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, stressed that while AI offers transformative opportunities for digital infrastructure, network optimization, and public service delivery, it also raises complex regulatory and ethical concerns.

Represented by Mr. Babagana Digima, Deputy Director of New Media and Information Security at NCC, Maida highlighted the significance of regulatory sandboxes as tools for collaborative policy development:

“Sandboxes provide a controlled environment for innovators to test AI under regulatory supervision.

“This encourages collaborative learning, risk mitigation, and evidence-based policymaking. We’re aligning this with the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Digital Economy Policy, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act.”

Principal Consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting, Dr. Jimson Olufuye, called for greater regulatory harmonization across African nations to facilitate easier data flows and AI integration.

“We need to optimise data protection processes and scale products across West Africa.

“There’s a need for sandboxes that support cross-border interoperability and AI systems embedded with robust governance structures,” he said.

Olufuye noted that inconsistencies in data laws across African jurisdictions could hinder innovation if not addressed through collaborative regulation.

Ms. Morine Amutorine, Africa Lead for the Datasphere Initiative, emphasized that AI sandboxes can be implemented in countries regardless of their regulatory maturity.

According to her, “ sandbox allows stakeholders to assess the impact of data-driven solutions and identify areas requiring new or updated regulation.”

Meanwhile, the African Sandbox Outlook report, presented at the event, noted that sandboxes are increasingly being recognized as powerful tools for testing regulatory and technical approaches to AI and data governance.

The report concluded that regulatory sandboxes across Africa are pivotal for tackling the continent’s data challenges, supporting innovation, and unlocking data value chains.