HuAfrica is experiencing a significant surge in cyberattacks, with Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa at the forefront. The continent recorded an average of 2,960 cyberattacks per organization weekly in Q2 2024, a 37 percent increase from the same period in 2023. This alarming trend was highlighted in the Global Threat Index for June 2024 by Check Point Research (CPR).
Top Targeted Countries and Malware Threats
Ethiopia has emerged as the most targeted country in Africa, ranking second globally with a Normalised Risk Index (NRI) of 99.0. Zimbabwe follows closely, ranking third globally with an NRI of 78.1. South Africa, while not as severely hit, still ranks 61st globally. Egypt, in contrast, is the least attacked country, sitting at the 112th position.
CPR’s report also identified the top malware families affecting Africa. Phorpiex, known for its large-scale spam campaigns, has been particularly active in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, Expiro, a polymorphic file infector that compromises data integrity, has been a major threat in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
While Africa faces a steep rise in cyber threats, the problem is global. Latin America saw a 53 percent year-over-year increase in cyberattacks, averaging 2,667 weekly. The Asia-Pacific region followed with a 23 percent increase, underscoring the global spread of these threats. Globally, there was a 30 percent increase in weekly attacks on corporate networks in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2023 and a 25 percent rise from Q1 2024.
CPR reported that the education and research sector is the most targeted industry worldwide, experiencing a 53 percent increase in attacks in Q2 2024 compared to the same period last year. This sector faced an average of 3,341 attacks per organization weekly. Government and military sectors followed, with an average of 2,084 weekly attacks, reflecting the high stakes involved in state-level cyber espionage and disruption.
Sector-Specific Cyber Threats
The healthcare sector also remains a lucrative target for cybercriminals. Healthcare organizations faced an average of 1,999 weekly attacks per organization in Q2 2024, a 15 percent increase from last year. Hospitals are particularly vulnerable due to often inadequate cybersecurity resources, making them attractive targets for hackers seeking health insurance information, medical records, and social security numbers.
Moreover, the hardware vendor industry experienced the largest increase in cyberattacks, with a dramatic rise of 183 percent. This surge underscores the expanding target range of cybercriminals as they exploit vulnerabilities across various sectors.
Ransomware attacks have also seen a notable increase. In Q2 2024, there were approximately 1,200 incidents involving public extortion, a 13 percent year-over-year increase. North America was the hardest hit, comprising 58 percent of all reported ransomware attacks, despite a slight three percent decrease from the previous year. Europe experienced a 28 percent decrease in incidents, while the Asia-Pacific region saw a 38 percent surge, accounting for 16 percent of the attacks.
Source: New Zimbabwe
