Nigeria and Ghana Among Africa’s Most Cyber-Attacked Digital Hubs, Report Finds

A recent report by NETSCOUT has highlighted Nigeria and Ghana as West Africa’s leading digital hubs facing intense cyber threats, with Nigeria recording 2,721 cyber incidents in the first half of 2024 alone. Both countries have become prime targets due to their growing digital sectors, attracting a high frequency of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and other complex cyber attacks.

In Nigeria, attacks predominantly targeted the computer services sector, while industries like beauty salons and data hosting companies also faced significant strikes. According to Bryan Hamman, NETSCOUT’s regional director for Africa, Nigeria’s attacks were notable for their complexity, with certain incidents involving up to 23 different attack types, including TCP, CLDAP, and DNS amplification.

Ghana, however, led the region in the diversity and frequency of cyber attacks, tallying 4,753 incidents, of which 2,759 were aimed at computer-related services. The wireless telecommunications sector also saw 110 attacks, while full-service restaurants were not exempt from this digital onslaught. Ghana experienced West Africa’s largest DDoS attack, reaching a peak bandwidth of 314.25 Mbps.

Other West African nations also experienced a surge in cyber threats. Guinea came in second regionally with 2,918 incidents, primarily impacting wireless telecommunications through TCP-based attacks. Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia reported similar frequencies, with 1,598 and 1,515 incidents, respectively, focused heavily on wireless telecom sectors.

Additional nations, including Benin, Senegal, Mali, and Cameroon, also reported notable incidents against their wireless telecom infrastructure, aligning with global trends. NETSCOUT’s Threat Intelligence Report recorded a 34% global increase in telecom-related attacks in early 2024 compared to the latter half of 2023, underscoring cybercriminals’ focus on disrupting critical communication networks.

Hamman stated, “This surge in attacks reflects an objective by cybercriminals to destabilise vital communication infrastructure, threatening economic stability in these rapidly digitising economies.”