• Hackers target education, telecom, government institutions

Globally, organisations experienced an average of 2,803 cyberattacks per week in September 2026, representing a 16 per cent month-on-month increase and a 48 per cent year-on-year increase.
 
This is according to Check Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., which released its Global Threat Intelligence insights for September 2026.
  
Most concerning is the leap in the number of weekly attacks per organisation of the four African countries included in the Check Point Insights. Angola led with 5,967 attacks (a 96 per cent increase YoY), Nigeria followed with 5,740 (up 109 per cent YoY), and Kenya had 4,303 (a 43 per cent increase YoY).
  
These three countries were the most attacked in the entire EMEA region. South Africa experienced 2,499 attacks per organisation per week (up 22 per cent YoY). African governments, financial services, and energy & utilities continued to be the top three most-attacked sectors on the continent.
 
September’s data showed cyber pressure rising across multiple fronts: weekly attack volumes increased sharply, phishing became more prevalent, GenAI use continued to expand alongside increases in sensitive data exposure, and ransomware remained well above last year’s level.
 
A total of 824 ransomware attacks were reported in September, representing a 53 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.
 
The Gentlemen was the most prevalent ransomware group in September, responsible for 13 per cent of published attacks, and is reportedly responsible for targeting South African insurance and medical aid organisations after breaching the insurtech firm MIP Holdings in June.
 
Regional Director, Africa at Check Point Research, Lorna Hardie, said: “September’s data shows cyber risk increasing in both volume and breadth, highlighting Africa’s vulnerabilities.”
   
“With attacks rising across every region, phishing becoming more frequent, ransomware remaining elevated and GenAI use expanding alongside sensitive-data exposure, security teams cannot rely on fragmented defences. Organisations need prevention-first protection that combines visibility, control and automation across network, cloud, endpoint, email and AI usage to stop threats before they disrupt operations or expose sensitive information.”
   
The report showed that Education remained the most targeted sector globally, averaging 6,656 weekly attacks per organisation, up 59 per cent year on year and 24 per cent from August. The increase coincided with the start of the academic year, when students, faculty, parents and other users reconnect to institutional networks.
   
Telecommunications ranked second with 3,483 weekly attacks per organisation, up 29 per cent year on year, followed by Government with 3,443, up 37 per cent. The figures show sustained pressure on sectors with broad user bases, essential services and complex digital environments.

Latin America recorded the highest regional attack volume in September, averaging 3,813 weekly attacks per organisation, up 35 per cent year on year. Africa ranked second at 3,701 weekly attacks, followed by APAC at 3,593.
  
Europe experienced the highest rate of growth, with attacks increasing 61 per cent compared with September 2025, while North America rose 50 per cent. Although Europe’s overall volume remained below that of the leading regions, it recorded the fastest growth of any region, signalling a rapidly intensifying threat environment.
  
Further, in September, one in every 39 enterprise GenAI prompts posed a high risk of sensitive data leakage, affecting 89 per cent of organisations that regularly use GenAI tools. A further 14 per cent of prompts contained potentially sensitive information.
 
The average user generated 131 GenAI prompts during the month, a significant increase from August, while each organisation used an average of eight tools. Rising prompt volumes and a broader toolset make it increasingly important to understand what information employees share, where it is processed and which controls apply.
 
The exposure spanned core business information. Network and IT Infrastructure data appeared in GenAI prompts at 71 per cent of organisations, followed by Financial Data at 70 per cent, Legal and Regulatory data at 68 per cent, Employee and HR data at 62 per cent, and personally identifiable information at 60 per cent.
 
These percentages reflect the share of organisations in which each category was observed, not the share of prompts, highlighting how everyday GenAI use can expose operational, financial, legal, and personal information without adequate governance.
 
Business Services recorded the highest high-risk GenAI prompt exposure rate at 4.9 per cent, or one in every 20 prompts, followed by Financial Services at 4.1 per cent and Healthcare and Medical at 3.5 per cent.
 
Latin America had the highest regional rate at four per cent, or one in every 25 prompts, above the global average of 2.5 per cent. These differences reinforce the need for sector-specific AI governance, particularly in data-rich industries where employees routinely handle sensitive, regulated or proprietary information.