Africa: Rising Cyberattacks, Especially Online Fraud

Africa: Rising Cyberattacks, Especially Online Fraud

Cyberattacks are increasing across Africa, with online fraud remaining the biggest cyber threat both on the continent and globally. A recent report reveals that although ransomware attacks are “rapidly expanding” throughout Africa, online fraud continues to dominate.

Studies published by Interpol on October 25 found that online fraud poses the greatest risk to African countries. In 2021, there was a significant increase in online banking scams, including fraudulent bank and credit card transactions.

Digital extortion—defined as “threats involving compromising sexual images or direct extortion campaigns”—was identified as the second most serious cyber threat. Meanwhile, Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams also surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, partly due to the increase in bank transfers by businesses and organizations.

Improved Connectivity

The number of Africans with internet access is estimated at around 500 million people. While this is a large figure, it represents only about 38% of the total population.

Kenya leads with 83% internet penetration, followed by Nigeria at 60% and South Africa at 56%.

Fraud has long been a major issue across the continent, particularly phishing campaigns. However, the report shows that increasing digitalization has created new opportunities for cybercriminals.

The report states:
“...the move toward a digital society—especially in Africa—has created new attack channels for criminals, allowing them to both conceal their identities and target new victims.”

Ransomware on the Rise

While social engineering remains the most common attack method in Africa, research shows that ransomware and botnet attacks are also increasing.

Ransomware ranked as the fourth most common cyberattack in the report. More than 61% of companies in the region were affected by ransomware in 2020 alone.

“These attacks target critical infrastructure in several African countries, including healthcare and maritime sectors,” the report noted.

Botnets ranked fifth. These are networks of compromised computers used to automate large-scale campaigns such as DDoS attacks, phishing, and malware distribution.

“The number of botnet victims detected in Africa in 2021 was approximately 50,000, with an average monthly detection rate of 3,900,” the report stated.

See Also: 7 Steps to Prevent and Minimize the Impact of Ransomware

Level of Damage

The severity of these losses is partly attributed by Interpol to weak cybersecurity practices among African businesses. The widespread adoption of online banking has further increased risks.

According to Interpol, 90% of African businesses operate “without essential cybersecurity protocols in place.”

In 2016, cybercrime caused losses of:

• USD 573 million in South Africa
• USD 500 million in Nigeria
• USD 36 million in Kenya

Conclusion

Not only globally but also within Africa, countries continue to suffer severe consequences from cyberattacks. Slow technological development, limited adoption of modern security solutions, and low awareness have contributed to losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Therefore, African nations need to strengthen cooperation among themselves and with more technologically advanced countries to combat cyber threats effectively.