A new industry report has sounded the alarm on Nigeria's escalating cyber threat landscape, revealing that organisations in the country are now subjected to an average of 4,200 attempted cyber intrusions every week. This figure, detailed in the African Perspectives on Cyber Security Report 2025, positions Nigeria as the African nation with the highest volume of weekly attacks per organisation.
AI and Exposed Identities Fuel the Crisis
The report, released by cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies, links Nigeria's unenviable position to several critical vulnerabilities. These include widespread exposed digital identities, misconfigured IT systems, and the increasingly sophisticated use of artificial intelligence by threat actors to automate and scale their malicious campaigns.
Lorna Hardie, Regional Director for Africa at Check Point, emphasised the new reality. "AI has become part of the attack surface," Hardie stated. "Attackers are using it to automate phishing and identity theft at scale. The only effective response is prevention-first security that combines visibility, governance, and AI protection."
Critical Sectors Under Fire: Finance, Energy, and Government
The assessment highlights that Nigeria's most vital sectors are prime targets. Financial institutions, energy companies, telecommunications providers, and government agencies are being assailed through a combination of tactics:
- Identity-led intrusions exploiting stolen or weak credentials.
- AI-generated phishing campaigns that are more convincing and harder to detect.
- Multi-vector ransomware attacks that can cripple entire networks.
The report specifically identifies Business Email Compromise (BEC) and cloud system exploitation as the dominant attack routes within the Nigerian context, often stemming from misconfigured cloud settings and exposed login details.
A Continental Threat with Nigerian Leadership
The data presents a stark comparison. Nigeria's weekly attack average of 4,200 is significantly higher than the continental average of 3,153 attacks per organisation. More concerningly, it towers 60 per cent above the global baseline of 1,963 weekly attacks.
The report also notes shifting attack patterns across Africa:
- South Africa is seeing a rise in ransomware, smishing (SMS phishing), and botnet infections.
- Kenya has recorded ransomware incidents targeting its national energy grid.
- Morocco has faced disruptive DDoS attacks and website defacements against government and education networks.
A key trend highlighted is the move from traditional ransomware to data-leak extortion, where attackers steal sensitive information and threaten to publish or sell it unless a ransom is paid. The report firmly states that identity is the new security perimeter, with compromised credentials remaining a top weakness.
The Call for Proactive Defense and Collaboration
Check Point warns that Africa's rapid digital adoption is outpacing security investment, creating dangerous gaps in cloud platforms, identity management, and AI-integrated processes. The firm urges both government and private-sector operators to adopt a fundamental shift in strategy.
Recommended actions include implementing prevention-first cybersecurity models, conducting continuous risk assessments, improving readiness for international regulatory frameworks like the EU's NIS2 Directive, and fostering wider public-private collaboration.
"The real challenge is not adopting new technology but securing the trust that underpins it," concluded Lorna Hardie. "As AI reshapes how organisations operate, cybersecurity must move from reaction to prediction." The report serves as a critical wake-up call for Nigeria to fortify its digital frontiers against an evolving, AI-empowered enemy.
