Nigeria records 4,906 weekly cyberattacks as threats rise 45%

Nigeria recorded an average of 4,906 cyberattacks per organisation every week in August 2026, representing a 45% year on year increase and placing the country among the most targeted markets in Africa.

The figure was contained in the latest Global Threat Intelligence report by Check Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies, which showed that cyber threats continued to intensify globally during the month.

Nigeria’s average was more than twice the global figure of 2,422 weekly attacks per organisation and was second only to Angola among the four African countries covered in the report.

Angola recorded 5,416 weekly attacks per organisation, up 47% year on year, while Kenya recorded 3,658 attacks, up 6%. South Africa recorded 2,086 weekly attacks, down 3% year on year.

What the report is saying

At the continental level, African organisations experienced an average of 3,335 attacks per organisation per week in August, up from 3,237 in July.

Globally, organisations recorded 2,422 weekly attacks in August, representing a 4% month on month increase and a 22% increase from August 2025.

Check Point said the Energy and Utilities sector was the most targeted industry in Africa in August, followed by financial services and government institutions.

Lorna Hardie, regional director for Africa at Check Point Software, described the trend as a red flag, given the importance of energy infrastructure to national economies.

• “The Energy & Utilities sector is the heartbeat of any country’s economy, and ensuring its cyber security should be a matter of priority for all concerned,” Hardie said.
• Ransomware also intensified during the month, with 1,042 reported attacks globally in August, almost double the level recorded in August 2025 and 8% higher than July.
• Business Services accounted for 36% of reported ransomware attacks, followed by Industrial Manufacturing at 13% and Consumer Goods and Services at 12%.

Check Point said Qilin was the most active ransomware group in August, accounting for 15% of published attacks, followed by The Gentlemen with 10%. Orova entered the top three for the first time.

Get up to speed

The latest data also follows a similarly elevated threat level in July, when Nigerian organisations recorded an average of 4,975 weekly cyberattacks, according to Check Point Research.

• Earlier in May this year, the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) issued a fresh alert to organisations across Nigeria’s critical sectors, warning of a sustained and intensifying wave of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks disrupting digital infrastructure.
• In the advisory, ngCERT said threat actors were increasingly deploying sophisticated techniques, including botnets, amplification methods, and the exploitation of known vulnerabilities, to overwhelm systems and render essential services inaccessible.

The agency noted that both government and private sector platforms are at risk as attackers refine their methods.

What you should know

While most of the cyber attacks on corporate organisations remain unreported, the ngCERT in a recent warning to Nigerian financial institutions disclosed that cybercriminals successfully orchestrated a coordinated ATM cash-out operation against UBA Senegal, resulting in fraudulent withdrawals exceeding $2 million through 3,421 ATM transactions.

The agency explained that recent incidents across the continent demonstrate how threat actors infiltrate banking networks through phishing campaigns, supply chain vulnerabilities, or insider access before deploying malware such as Ploutus variants and other jackpotting tools.

The cybersecurity agency warned that successful ATM cash-out attacks could result in significant financial and operational consequences for affected institutions.