Nigerian Companies Hit by 4,200 Cyberattacks Weekly, Highest in Africa
- A new report by an international security firm says Nigeria records the highest weekly cyberattacks in Africa
- Nigerian companies face an average of 4,200 attacks per week, far above regional and global averages
- The report links rising threats to AI-driven phishing, identity theft and ransomware
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Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, tech and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
According to a report published titled ‘African Perspectives on Cyber Security Report 2025’, Nigerian organisations are now the most targeted by cybercriminals in Africa.
Punch reported that the report was published by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a global cybersecurity firm.
Source: Getty Images
The report shows that Nigerian companies face an average of 4,200 cyberattacks every week, far above the African average of 3,153 and about 60% higher than the global average of 1,963 attacks per organisation.
According to Kingsley Oseghale, Check Point’s Country Manager for West Africa, the high rate of cyberattacks reflects growing threats powered by artificial intelligence. He added that cybercriminals are now using AI tools to automate phishing, impersonation and cloud-based attacks.
Defence against AI threats
Oseghale explained that AI is increasingly part of the threat environment, making prevention-focused security essential for organisations. He said the best defence requires a mix of visibility, governance and AI-enabled protection.
The report also warns that exposed identities and misconfigured systems are leaving key sectors vulnerable. Industries such as finance, energy, telecommunications and government institutions are among the most targeted.
“The only effective response is prevention-first security that combines visibility, governance, and AI protection,” the report stated.
Check Point highlighted different trends by country. Nigeria is dealing with business email compromise and cloud exploitation. South Africa is seeing rising ransomware cases, smishing and botnet infections, including Vo1d and XorDDoS.
Kenya has experienced ransomware attacks on critical energy infrastructure, while Morocco has faced coordinated disruptions in government and education systems through DDoS and website defacement.
The report noted five major shifts shaping the continent’s cyber risk landscape in 2025, including the evolution of ransomware into data-leak extortion and the rise of AI-driven deception. It added that weak cyber readiness may now affect access to international markets under regulations such as the EU’s NIS2 Directive, making digital resilience a key economic requirement.
The study recommends that African governments and businesses adopt prevention-first cybersecurity strategies. These include ongoing risk assessments, regulatory compliance and stronger collaboration between public and private stakeholders.
Source: Getty Images
Oseghale added that as organisations increasingly adopt AI, cybersecurity strategies must move from reacting to threats to predicting them. He stressed that the real challenge is not adopting new technology but securing the trust that underpins it.
Reps raise alarm over growing cyber fraud
Legit.ng earlier reported that a House of Representatives committee said it uncovered vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s digital payment systems.
The committee, which gave a report of its investigation into cryptocurrency and PoS operations in Nigeria, said these vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers and cyber criminals.
Members of the committee found that unregistered agents, cloned terminals, anonymous transactions and poor KYC practices pose major risks to the country’s growing digital financial sector.
Source: Legit.ng
