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Hackers Target So-Called “Easy’ African Countries

By Bankole orija
24 December 2015   |   9:56 pm
African countries are being actively targeted by cyber criminals, with eight countries in Africa are among the top 20 targeted globally out of 140 countries examined in October and November, according to data from Check Point.
Cybercrime

cyber criminals

African countries are being actively targeted by cyber criminals, with eight countries in Africa are among the top 20 targeted globally out of 140 countries examined in October and November, according to data from Check Point.
“We’re seeing an ongoing trend of cyber criminals exploiting weaker security controls in less developed African nations to target their more advanced counterparts,” said Doros Hadjizenonos, country manager of Check Point South Africa.

Tanzania was the most targeted African country with Namibia second, Cameroon (3rd), Mauritius (6th) and Tunisia (7th) in the top 10. South Africa slipped from 63rd to 67th.

Hadjizenonos said the rise of mobile devices in the workplace has given hackers the opportunity to attack companies.
“The rise in mobile malware also highlights the growing need for organisations to protect their employees’ mobile devices, which process and carry valuable corporate data. Attackers have realised that these devices are an easier target compared with corporate networks, so it’s critical that organisations deploy protection to prevent them being exploited and stop data leakage.”

The company identified 1 200 malware families used to carry out cyber attacks and found that two – Conficker and Necurs – focus on disabling security services on networks.

This facilitates easier access for downloads of other malicious software programs, increasing the vulnerability of the network.

“The data for November highlights the fact that attackers are focusing their efforts on malware that can disable security services and infect machines stealthily so they can be more easily exploited,” said Hadjizenonos.

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