Nigeria is facing a significant surge in cyber threats, recording 18,872 cyber attacks monthly, according to a recent report. This alarming statistic highlights Nigeria’s position as a major digital hub in Africa.
The threat of cyberattacks has grown in Africa, especially in Nigeria, which faces 4,718 weekly attacks.
Check Point Software Technologies, a cyber security platform provider, disclosed this in its 2024 African Perspectives on Cyber Security Report, which was released on Thursday. Nigeria has witnessed a sharp rise in cyber-attacks, with the country ranked 19th in the global rankings for attacks in July.
This growth has been recorded on the back of a growing digital economy, with more people coming online and becoming more vulnerable to hackers.
The federal government has had to issue at least 33 cyberattack advisories in the past year, the highest number on record.
According to the cyber security platform, Nigeria is one of the most vulnerable to attacks on the continent. It noted that in a recent incident, a banking trojan attack compromised 100,000 customer accounts and resulted in $3 million in losses.
Financial institutions in the country have been the most prone to attacks. According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, Fraudsters successfully scammed over 80,658 bank customers in 2023, and bank customers lost N59.33 billion between 2019 and 2023.
