Nigeria ranks 14th as Ethiopia suffers most cyberattacks globally

Nigeria has become the 14th most attacked country globally as the country’s cyberattack normalised risk index is now 55.1 per cent.

This was revealed by Check Point’s latest research, which noted that cybersecurity threats are escalating across Africa, with several countries appearing prominently in the global cyberattack rankings.

According to CheckPoint Ethiopia ranks as the most attacked country and holds the top global position with a normalised Risk Index of 96.8, reflecting the heightened cyber threat landscape in the region.

Angola and Uganda, according to the report, are also among the most vulnerable.

“Angola is ranked 4th globally with a normalised Risk Index of 74, and Uganda is ranked 10th globally with a normalised Risk Index of 61,” the report noted.

Further analysis of the report listed other countries in the top 20 ranking to include Ghana, which ranked 12th with a normalised risk index of 58.2; Mozambique, which ranked 16th with a normalised Risk Index of 53.5; and Kenya, which ranked 18th with a normalised Risk Index of 53.4.

South Africa ranked 63rd on the global threat index with a normalised Risk Index of 37.1, highlighting a relatively lower position compared to other African countries.   However, it is still faced with significant cyber threats.

Check Point also reported that education and research firms remained first place in the attacked industries globally, followed by government/military and communications.

On mobile malware, the cybersecurity firm revealed that Joker, an Android spyware found in the Google Play Store, ranked first, followed by Necro, an Android Trojan Dropper, and Anubis, a banking trojan malware designed for Android mobile phones.

The report noted that in October, RansomHub was the most prevalent ransomware group, responsible for 17 per cent of the published attacks. It was followed by Play, which had 10 per cent, and Meow, which had five per cent.

Commenting on the threat landscape, Vice President of Research at Check Point Software, Maya Horowitz, said: “The rise of sophisticated info stealers underscores a growing reality.

Cybercriminals are evolving their methods and leveraging innovative attack vectors. Organisations must go beyond traditional defences, adopting proactive and adaptive security measures that anticipate emerging threats to counter these persistent challenges effectively.”