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The Global Cyber Threat Report released by security solutions company Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. in January 2025 ranks African countries among the countries most targeted by cyber attacks.
Coreyu said 8 African countries were among the world’s 20 countries most vulnerable to cyber attacks, naming Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Mozambique.
The continent’s digital infrastructure in education, government and communications was also revealed to be the most targeted sectors to hackers.
Ethiopia in the lead
Other African countries’ rankings in the index ranged from 11th ranked (Comoros) to 17th (Mozambique). Overall, 109 countries were included in the rankings, and Ethiopia was ranked first globally, compared to various African countries.
Egypt (97th) came in with highest ranking among African countries, its cyber risk score of 31.1% marking best among countries recorded in Africa.
In monthly terms, the number of cyber attacks in Nigeria increased from the 13th position in December 2024 to the 11th position in January 2025.
However, Ghana’s threat rating fell from 11th in December and 16th in January.
Top Threats and Attack Methods
Club accounted for 10 per cent of ransomware attacks, FunkSec had 8 per cent and RansomHub 7 per cent.
The type of malware encompassed Anubis, AhMyth, and Necro, evidence that not only were individuals under threat, but enterprises as well.
The role of artificial intelligence
However, cybersecurity research teams have just revealed the rise of hacking artificial intelligence tools to increase attacks.
The report explained how generative artificial intelligence was being used to bypass traditional verification systems to create realistic fake documents, generate falsified voices and images to steal identities for financial crime and other forms.
Maya Horowitz, Vice President of Research at Check Point Software, also confirmed in this context that “artificial intelligence is completely disrupting the cyber threat landscape and cyber hackers are taking full advantage and developing methods rapidly that utilize this technology.”
She also added that organizations will have to go above and beyond traditional defenses for this and will have to implement proactive security solutions based on artificial intelligence that preaches emerging risks.
Targeting institutions
Over the past years, African organizations have come under increasing cyber attacks.
Last year 2024 Kenya’s Small and Medium Enterprises Authority and Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission had been hacked and were exposed online with such sensitive government data.
Its website was also hacked in Nigeria, and its National Bureau of Statistics.
Experts say there is need for African countries to invest in advanced security systems and adopt proactive measures to counter growing cyber attack threats with the escalation of cyber attack threat and the role of artificial intelligence in carrying them out.
The Check Point Software report sums of the difficulties facing Africa in the field of security, because Africa is experiencing an unprecedented increase in cyber attacks.
Given that the role of artificial intelligence in hackers’ increasingly complex attacks leaves very little to chance, it is the considered thought of these experts that African governments and institutions need to adapt to the new digital security paradigms.
