from DION HENRICK in Cape Town
Western Cape Bureau
CAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – SEVERAL African countries are ranked in the top 20 nations targeted by cyber criminals globally.
According to the rankings by Check Point Software Technologies for November 2024, Ethiopia is the most attacked country of the 107 surveyed.
Zimbabwe ranked fourth, Uganda ninth and Angola tenth, globally.
Ghana is 13th, Mozambique ranked 17th, Nigeria 19th and Kenya 20th.
The largest economy, South Africa, moved down the rankings to be positioned at 67th.
Check Point researchers have established that Androxgh0st, now at the top of the malware rankings, is exploiting vulnerabilities across multiple platforms, including internet of things (IoT) devices and web servers, key components of critical infrastructure.
By adopting tactics from Mozi, another malware, it targets systems using remote code execution and credential-stealing methods to maintain persistent access enabling malicious activities like Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks and data theft, Maya Horowitz, Vice President of Research at Check Point explained.
The botnet infiltrates critical infrastructures through unpatched vulnerabilities, and the integration of Mozi’s capabilities has significantly expanded Androxgh0st’s reach, allowing it to infect more IoT devices and control a broader range of targets.
“These attacks create cascading effects across industries, highlighting the high stakes for governments, businesses, and individuals reliant on these infrastructures,” Horowitz said.
– CAJ News