Kaspersky has launched the second part of its report on tech-enabled abuse based on a global study* of 7,600 respondents across 19 countries, including 400 from India. In India, Kaspersky detected stalkerware on 2,370 unique devices (2,148 in 2024 and 264 in early 2025) — and the study findings explain why: Indian respondents recorded the highest mean number of abusive digital behaviours experienced in APAC at 3.4, with 52% reporting feeling unsafe online.
Globally, the study reveals that nearly 50% of victims of tech-enabled abuse know their perpetrator — suggesting that the threat is closer to home than most people assume.
Abuse cycles within relationships
The study by Kaspersky’s internal market research center conducted among 7,600 respondents in 19 countries reveals that online abuse is far more personal than commonly perceived. While 40% of respondents who experienced tech-enabled abuse said it came from someone they did not know, nearly 50% reported that the perpetrator was someone within their social circle.
Friends accounted for 15% of cases, followed by current partners (10%), colleagues (8%), family members (7%), and ex-partners (6%). Countries where abusers more often than average turned out to be someone close to the victims include USA, Italy, Spain, UK, India and Indonesia.
Individuals who experienced abuse from a friend, partner, or family member were significantly more likely to report having acted abusively toward that same category of person. This suggests that tech-enabled abuse can become normalized, reciprocal, and self-reinforcing over time.
India's digital abuse landscape
The data from India tells a particularly urgent story. Indian respondents experienced a mean of 3.37 types of abusive digital behaviours in the past 12 months, the highest among all APAC markets surveyed. The most prevalent forms of abuse reported by Indians include arguing in group chats, comment sections or forums (34%), sending offensive or rude messages online (27%), and digital stalking (21%) — the last of which is more than double the global average of 9%.
More concerning still, other severe forms of abuse are disproportionately high in India compared to global averages: impersonating someone or using fake accounts to deceive or harass (17% vs. 10% globally), making and sharing deepfakes without consent (14% vs. 6% globally), doxxing (12% vs. 5% globally), and revenge porn (12% vs. 5% globally).
These figures are further corroborated by Kaspersky's own telemetry: 2,370 unique Indian devices were found to have stalkerware installed (2,148 in 2024 and 264 in early 2025), underscoring the scale of covert digital surveillance in the country.
Awareness without safety
Despite relatively high awareness, 88% of Indian respondents said they had heard the term "tech-enabled abuse" and 50% said they know exactly what it means — this knowledge has not translated into a sense of safety online. 52% of Indians reported feeling unsafe in the digital world, with 47% describing themselves as "partly safe, partly unsafe" and 4% feeling "mostly unsafe."
Globally, this awareness gap is even more pronounced across generations. Among Gen Z respondents globally, who grew up with smartphones and constant connectivity, 81% said they were familiar with the term "tech-enabled abuse," while among Baby Boomers globally, that figure drops to 64%.
Across all age groups, women report significantly higher levels of discomfort and vulnerability in digital environments. 62% of women said they feel unsafe online, compared to 54% of men. These figures suggest that digital environments are not experienced equally. For many women, online spaces are not only a source of connection and opportunity, but also a space of heightened risk and emotional strain.
"More Indians are online today than ever before, shopping, banking, connecting, and building their lives in digital spaces. But our research shows that this same connectivity is being exploited as a tool of abuse. The prevalence of digital stalking, deepfakes, impersonation, and other forms of online abuse highlighted in this study demonstrates that digital trust and personal safety must become a shared priority. At Kaspersky, we believe that cybersecurity is not only about defending against external threats but also about helping people recognize and protect themselves from abuse that can occur within their personal networks. Greater awareness, education, and proactive security measures will be essential to fostering a safer and more resilient digital future for India," said Jaydeep Singh, General Manager, India at Kaspersky.
“From a cybersecurity perspective, the fact that nearly 50% of tech-enabled abuse cases originate from someone within a victim’s social circle significantly changes how we should approach protection. These threats often do not look like traditional cyberattacks — they are embedded in everyday interactions, trusted devices, and shared access to accounts or data. This makes them harder to detect and easier to overlook. Strengthening digital hygiene, understanding how access and permissions can be misused, and using trusted security tools are essential steps to reducing exposure and preventing such abuse from escalating,” says Tatyana Shishkova, Lead Security Researcher, Acting Head of Research Center Americas & Europe at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT).
“These findings challenge the persistent assumption that technology-facilitated abuse is primarily anonymous or perpetrated by strangers. Instead, they highlight how such harm is often embedded within existing relationships — spaces typically associated with trust and emotional safety. In these contexts, abuse can become part of a cycle of mutual escalation, where individuals respond to perceived harm, control, or humiliation with further harmful behaviour. Digital environments, with their immediacy and intensity, can amplify these dynamics, making it easier for conflict to escalate and harder to interrupt. Recognising these relational patterns is critical to understanding and addressing the full scope of technology-facilitated abuse,” says Dr Leonie Maria Tanczer, Associate Professor at UCL Computer Science and Head of the Department's Gender and Tech Research Lab.
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