As African nations embrace digital transformation and increased internet connectivity, organizations across the continent are facing an unprecedented rise in cyber threats, particularly distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Recent data from Netscout reveals a 30% spike in DDoS attacks across the Middle East and Africa during the first half of 2024 compared to the previous quarter. Morocco led the region with 61,000 DDoS incidents, followed by Egypt with 45,108 attacks, highlighting the growing cyber vulnerabilities in countries with high internet penetration rates.
The telecommunications sector emerged as the primary target, with wireless and wired providers bearing the brunt of these attacks. In Egypt, one notable attack reached a staggering bandwidth of 332.96 Gbit/s, while Tunisia faced sophisticated multi-vector attacks employing up to 27 different attack methods.
Richard Hummel, director of threat intelligence at Netscout, attributes this surge to two main factors: the rapid expansion of online services creating larger attack surfaces, and ongoing geopolitical tensions fueling hacktivist activities. These politically motivated attacks often target critical infrastructure, including government services, utilities, and banking systems.
Beyond DDoS attacks, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies warns of emerging threats like cyber espionage, critical infrastructure attacks, and organized cybercrime. The center particularly notes China's role in cyberespionage activities across the continent, while highlighting vulnerabilities in government, military, banking, and telecom networks.
The rise in internet adoption has also transformed traditional criminal activities, giving birth to new cyber-dependent schemes such as business email compromise and romance scams. Supply chain security has become another pressing concern, given African organizations' heavy reliance on foreign suppliers.
As African businesses continue their digital transformation journey, cybersecurity experts emphasize the growing need for robust defense mechanisms and effective breach reporting capabilities to maintain business continuity and attract future investments in the region.