Africa now the most attacked region for cyber threats, Check Point

Africa has become the world’s most attacked region for cyber threats for the first time in more than a year, according to Check Point Research’s latest threat intelligence report. Organisations in Africa faced an average of 3,834 attacks per week in October 2026, up 38% from a year earlier. Latin America followed with 3,483 weekly attacks per organisation, and Asia-Pacific (APAC) with 3,436. Europe recorded the steepest annual growth, at 39%. Nigeria was the world’s most attacked country, with 6,676 attacks per organisation per week, up 140% year on year. Angola was second with 6,116 (up 88%), and Kenya was fourth, behind Mexico, with 4,302 (up 46%). South Africa ranked 22nd of the 42 countries surveyed, with 2,191 weekly attacks (up 17%). Financial services, government, and energy and utilities were the most targeted sectors in Africa. “Africa’s high attack volumes reflect how quickly organisations are expanding their digital operations, often without security keeping pace. In markets like Nigeria and Angola, increased connectivity, investment in digital services and growing reliance on technology are creating more opportunities for attackers,” said Ian van Rensburg, head of security engineering for Africa at Check Point Software Technologies. “The challenge is that cybercriminals are moving faster, using automation and AI to launch attacks at a scale we haven’t seen before.”