by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – IN July, Africa experienced the highest average number of cyber attacks per organisation.
This is according to the Check Point Research (CPR), in its Global Threat Intelligence Report for that month.
Released on Tuesday, it reveals a sharp escalation in both the scale and sophistication of cyber attacks.
Africa suffered an average of 3 374 attacks per week, reflecting a 7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. It is followed by the Asia Pacific (APAC) with 2 809 attacks (an increase of 6 percent) and Latin America with 2 783 (an increase of 4 percent).
In Africa, the top three most targeted sectors were Telecommunications, Government and Financial Services, closely followed by Energy and Utilities.
Figures supplied for countries in Africa show Nigeria as hardest hit with a 67 percent increase, followed by Angola, Kenya and South Africa.
Lorna Hardie, Regional Director: Africa, Check Point Software Technologies, said, “For organisations in Africa, these figures are particularly concerning.”
“While Africa rapidly rolls out digital transformation strategies, its cyber security defenses are lagging. Prevention-first strategies, powered by AI, are the only way to stay ahead.”
Ransomware remained one of the most disruptive threats in July 2025, with a few highly active groups responsible for much of the global activity.
The three most prominent were Qilin, Akira and Play.
Lotem Finkelstein, Director, Threat Intelligence and Research at CheckPoint, said July’s data showed ransomware was evolving rapidly.
“These attacks are hitting every corner of the globe and every type of organisation,” Finkelstein. said.
– CAJ News
