More African countries have joined the list of the most attacked globally, according to Check Point Software Technologies' Global Threat Index for July 2024.
The research covers 112 countries and focuses on the Normalised Risk Index (NRI), which measures the gap between a country's cybersecurity posture and its level of vulnerability or risk of attack. The rating system also considers the number of attacks and the number of impacted organisations within each country.
Fifteen African countries are featured on Check Point's global list, indicating a rising threat level to the continent.
Ethiopia ranks highest among all surveyed countries, with an NRI of 100%.
Zimbabwe is the third most attacked country globally, with an NRI score of 77.1%.
Nigeria has seen a sharp rise in its risk ranking, placing 19th globally with an NRI of 58.5%.
Check Point adds that Kenya and Ghana have also experienced significant increases, ranking 11th and 15th, respectively. Zambia is 63rd on the list, with an NRI score of 40.5%.
South Africa has moved up in the rankings to 59th globally (up from 61st in June), with an NRI of 42%,
The Maldives, Angola and Mauritius are featured on a list of the top twenty most vulnerable, positioned in 4, 5 and 9 place respectively.
Issam El Haddioui, head of security sales engineering for Check Point Africa, says these findings point to the urgent need for enhanced cyber security for African businesses due to the evolving threat landscape, and recent vulnerabilities like the CrowdStrike Falcon sensor exploit.
Maya Horowitz, VP of research at Check Point Software, notes that the rise of malware like Remcos highlights the opportunistic nature of cyber criminals and urges organisations in Africa to adopt robust endpoint protection, vigilant monitoring, and comprehensive user education.
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