Cyberattacks account for 30 percent of all crime in East Africa but global attention ignores the continent

Cybersecurity complacency is driving a digital crisis across Africa.

Cyberattacks now account for more than 30 percent of all reported crime in East Africa and West Africa.

However, the International Police (Interpol) warns that exposing the idea that African markets are too small to attract cybercriminals, is not only outdated but also dangerous.

Unless businesses and governments step up to address this blind spot in Africa, cybercriminals will continue to exploit the continent as a testing ground.

While global attention remains fixed on high-profile cyber incidents in North America and Europe, a quieter crisis is unfolding much closer to home, precisely in East and West Africa.

The idea that African markets are too small or insignificant to attract cybercriminals has created a blind spot, leaving networks, businesses, and governments exposed.

As a result, the continent has become the ideal testing ground for new and evolving cyber threats.

“Unlike developed nations, Africa hasn’t had the luxury of slow, steady infrastructure growth. For a long time, our resources fuelled Western development, while our own progress was left behind,” says Allan Juma, Cyber Security Engineer at ESET East Africa.

“Out of necessity, and because of globalization, we’ve had to adopt new technologies quickly – sometimes without the chance to fully understand or secure them. It’s no surprise that we’re now facing some of the world’s toughest online threats. The very technologies meant to help us have, in some ways, opened the door to even more cyber exploitation,” Juma adds.

This rapid adoption, combined with limited cybersecurity readiness, leaves the continent exposed.

In 2024, only nine out of 44 African countries ranked in the top two tiers of cybersecurity maturity in the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index.

This is a clear sign that weak strategies and security gaps have created an ideal low-risk environment for cybercriminals to exploit.

“Today’s cybercriminals are operating with more sophistication than ever before. The rise of generative AI is making things even more challenging, fuelling the spread of misinformation, convincing phishing scams and large-scale malware attacks.

Much of this surge is closely linked to the growing presence of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations right here in Africa,” points out Juma

The convergence of these tactics across the continent points to a clear trend. Groups like FunkSec, linked to at least 10 confirmed ransomware incidents globally, including several in Africa, are leveraging AI-powered malware to develop and upgrade ransomware at speed.

This approach allows attackers, regardless of technical skill, to launch precise, hard-to-detect campaigns, effectively turning cybercrime into a scalable operation with devastating consequences for businesses and individuals alike, ranging from reputational damage to financial loss.

“This is where Africa’s risks really start to pile up. Our digital world is growing fast, but too often we’re not investing enough in cybersecurity or training the people who can keep us safe. It’s like leaving the front door wide open, inviting all kinds of attacks from random opportunists to highly skilled hackers targeting key systems. If we want to turn this around, cybersecurity must become a top priority for governments, businesses, and everyone in between,” maintains the Cybersecurity engineer.

Recognizing the risks is only the starting point. Meaningful change will require more than generic, off-the-shelf solutions.

African businesses need a fundamental shift – from reacting to threats to staying ahead of them. By championing proactive, continent-wide strategies like robust regulatory frameworks and cross-border threat intelligence sharing, Africa can not only secure its own digital future but set a powerful example for other emerging economies facing similar threats.

The nine African countries ranked in the top two tiers of cybersecurity maturity include:

Tier 1

• ·        Egypt
• ·        Mauritius
• ·        Ghana
• ·        Kenya
• ·        Rwanda
• ·        Morocco

Tier 2

• ·        South Africa
• ·        Zambia