In 2023, a majority of African economies witnessed a decline in overall cyber threats, signaling a positive trend. However, notable exceptions were observed, with Kenya experiencing a substantial 68% increase in ransomware attacks, while South Africa encountered a notable 29% surge in phishing incidents targeting sensitive data.
This evolving landscape underscores a significant paradigm shift. Cyber adversaries are increasingly setting their sights on critical infrastructure across Africa, accompanied by a discernible inclination towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their modus operandi. Insights derived from Kaspersky's telemetry data reveal a growing reliance on AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), to orchestrate more sophisticated social engineering tactics.
Following Are the Reasons Behind the Cyber-Threats
AI's Growing Influence:
Kaspersky's Yamout highlights the surge in attacks in Africa, fueled by AI technologies like LLMs, making cybercrime more accessible. These advancements have led to the creation of convincing phishing emails, synthetic identities, and deepfakes, exacerbating existing AI inequalities.
Hacking Critical Infrastructure:
Kaspersky notes a significant attack on operational technology, with 38% of OT computers facing threats in 2023. Cybercriminals and nation-state groups, alongside rising tensions, contribute to this threat landscape, including the emergence of hacktivism driven by socio-cultural and economic motives.
Mobile Internet, Mobile Threats:
With mobile devices being the primary means of internet access in Africa, Dark Reading observes a 10% rise in mobile threats in 2023, including ransomware and SMS phishing attacks. The shift to remote work globally further amplifies mobile threats, presenting challenges in safeguarding personal and corporate data.
Furthermore, according to Interpol's African Cyberthreat Assessment 2023 report, Africa has historically been a hotspot for social engineering threats, particularly noting the prevalence of BEC (business email compromise) actors like the SilverTerrier group. This underscores the persistent challenges posed by cybercriminals operating within the region.
Kaspersky's report echoes these concerns, noting a growing trend of citizens in Africa and the META region being targeted by cybercriminals. This alarming development emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to safeguard individuals and businesses against evolving threats.
Further, analysis from a 2023 Positive Technologies report reveals that BEC attacks remain the primary cyber threat to organizations and individuals in the region. The financial, telecom, government, and retail sectors are particularly vulnerable, collectively accounting for over half of all reported attacks.
The Positive Technologies report also highlights key findings regarding the nature of cyber attacks in Africa. Notably, 80% of attacks on African organizations involve malware, indicating the widespread use of malicious software to compromise systems and networks.
Additionally, a staggering 91% of attacks targeting African citizens incorporate a social engineering component, illustrating the effectiveness of deceptive tactics in exploiting unsuspecting individuals.
What can be done to measure the surge of cyber-attacks?
Various studies advocate for patching software, managing credentials, and securing endpoints to combat ransomware groups exploiting vulnerabilities. Unpatched software, vulnerable web services, and weak remote access services are cited as common entry points for attackers in Africa.
