Nigeria ranks 14th on global cyberattack risk index

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has ranked 14th globally with a cyberattack normalised risk index of 55.1 percent, according to Check Point’s latest research.

The research body noted in its latest risk update that cybersecurity threats are escalating across Africa, with several countries appearing prominently in the global cyberattack rankings.

“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,” the report revealed.

It added that Angola and Uganda 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 cybersecurity firm further added that other countries in the list of the top 20 most targeted are 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 is 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.

In October, RansomHub was the most prevalent ransomware group, responsible for 17 percent of the published attacks. It was followed by Play, which had 10 percent, and Meow, which had 5 percent.

Maya Horowitz, VP of Research at Check Point Software, commented on the current threat landscape, stating, “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.”