Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, a cybersecurity solutions company, has released its Global Threat Index for January 2025, highlighting African countries with the most cyber attacks.
The report shows that eight African countries — Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Mozambique — were among the top 20 most attacked countries globally in January 2025. In addition, education, government, and telecommunications were the most attacked sectors.
Ethiopia was at the top of the list of 109 countries represented on the index, with the other African countries ranging between 5th place (Zimbabwe) and 17th place (Mozambique). Egypt, the best-performing country in Africa, came in 97th in the index, with a Normalised Risk Index (NRI) of 31.1%.
Nigeria experienced more cyber-attacks in January 2025 than it did in December 2024, moving from 13th place in December 2024 to 11th in January 2025.
The report also reveals that Ghana recorded a lower NRI, moving from 11th position in December 2024 to 16th position in January 2025.
According to the report, the three top malware families prevalent in the featured countries were:
- FakeUpdates: A downloader malware initially discovered in 2018 that manifests through false browser updates to trick users into downloading malware.
- Formbook: An infostealer malware first identified in 2016 that primarily targets Windows systems and steals passwords and personal information from various websites.
- Remcos: A remote access trojan (RAT) first observed in 2016, distributed through malicious documents, allows hackers to remotely control compromised computers.
Other top ransomware groups include Clop, the most prevalent ransomware group, responsible for 10% of the published attacks, FunkSec, responsible for 8%, and RansomHub, responsible for 7%. Mobile malware contained in the report includes Anubis, AhMyth, and Necro.
A recent investigation by security researchers has revealed that cybercriminals are increasingly using AI-powered tools to enhance their attacks. In Africa, generative AI to bypass traditional verification systems is becoming more rampant. Fraudsters are increasingly using generative AI to create hyper-realistic fake documents, voices, and images, enabling them to steal identities and commit financial crimes.
Maya Horowitz, VP of Research at Check Point Software, commented, “AI is transforming the cyber threat landscape, with cyber criminals rapidly evolving their methods, leveraging AI to automate and scale their tactics and enhance their capabilities. To effectively combat these threats, organisations must move beyond traditional defences and adopt proactive, adaptive AI-powered security measures that anticipate emerging risks.”
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African countries are no strangers to cybersecurity threats and attacks. In 2024, Kenya’s Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) and Nigeria's National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had sensitive government information sold on the web, and Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported a cyber breach on its website.
With the adoption of AI to aid cyber attacks, African countries and organisations must invest in more advanced tools to combat the efforts of cybercriminals.
