The latest reports from cybersecurity firm Check Point revealed a concerning 20% surge in cyberattacks across African businesses during Q1 2024 compared to the previous year. This spike overshadowed a global 5% increase in cyber assaults per organization during the same period, with Africa experiencing the highest attack rates among all regions.
Specifically, the Education/Research sector is suffering the most from cyber attacks, enduring an average of 2,454 attacks weekly per organization, followed closely by the Government/Military and Healthcare sectors.
Additionally, the Hardware Vendor industry witnessed a notable 37% rise in attacks, highlighting a strategic shift in cybercriminal focus towards industries relying heavily on hardware for IoT and smart devices.
Ransomware attacks remained a prevalent threat, with North America bearing the highest impact at 59%, followed by Europe and APAC. Europe saw a substantial 64% increase in reported ransomware attacks compared to the previous year, possibly due to increased digitization and regulatory factors. The Manufacturing sector emerged as the most targeted globally, comprising 29% of published ransomware attacks, followed by Healthcare and Retail/Wholesale.
To combat these escalating threats, businesses are urged to adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity approach encompassing data backups, regular training, security patches, user authentication, and anti-ransomware solutions. Proactive engagement with AI-powered defenses is emphasized as crucial for enhancing resilience against evolving attack techniques.
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