A new report has revealed that Nigerian organisations are currently the most targeted in Africa, facing a staggering average of 4,200 cyber-attacks per week.
The African Perspectives on Cyber Security Report 2025, released by global cybersecurity leader Check Point Software Technologies, highlights a disturbing trend where Nigerian businesses bear the brunt of digital aggression on the continent. The primary drivers of these relentless assaults are identified as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and cloud exploitation.
The data paints a concerning picture of Nigeria’s digital threat landscape compared to the rest of the world:
- Nigeria: 4,200 attacks per week.
- Africa Average: 3,153 attacks per week.
- Global Average: 1,963 attacks per week.
This means Nigerian organisations face an attack volume that is more than double the global average.
The Role of AI in Cyber Crime The report notes a major shift in tactics, with threat actors increasingly weaponizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate phishing, identity theft, and cloud exploitation.
Kingsley Oseghale, Country Manager for West Africa at Check Point, explained the severity of the situation:
“AI has become part of the attack surface. Attackers are using it to automate phishing and identity theft at scale. The only effective response is prevention-first security that combines visibility, governance, and AI protection.”
While Nigeria battles high-volume BEC attacks, other African nations face different threats. South Africa is seeing a rise in ransomware and botnet infections, Kenya is battling attacks on critical energy infrastructure, and Morocco is dealing with coordinated disruptions in the government and education sectors.