Top 10 African Countries Vulnerable To Cyber Threat 

According to recent research by Check Point® Software Technologies, the top 10 African nations are most vulnerable to cyberattacks, especially when Remote Access Trojans (RAT) are used.

The report claims that cyber threats have been especially bad in Africa, where attacks and targets have been directed towards nations like Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Morocco.

The report also emphasizes how the sophisticated RAT AgentTesla is becoming more and more widespread due to a sophisticated new mal-spam campaign that uses tampered email attachments.

The fact that the education sector is still the main target highlights how susceptible this sector is to cyberattacks.

The study, which focuses on October 2023, highlights a notable increase in cyberthreats against Middle Eastern and African governments and organizations. The principal weapon of preference? Hackers can take remote control of compromised systems by using malware known as Remote Access Trojans, or RATs.

The advanced RAT Agent Tesla and NJRat are prominent among the threats that have been highlighted. They are driven by a sophisticated spam campaign that uses tainted email attachments.

For example, AgentTesla sneaks around inside archive files with a malicious Microsoft Compiled HTML Help (.CHM) extension. These files, which are frequently disguised as standard order and shipment documents, enter victims’ systems through email attachments with the.GZ or.zip extension, tricking gullible recipients into downloading malicious software.

Once entrenched, AgentTesla exhibits a range of detrimental capabilities, from keylogging and capturing clipboard data to accessing file systems and clandestinely transmitting stolen data to a Command and Control (C&C) server.

NJRat, the other prominent player in this cyber threat landscape, boasts a multitude of capabilities, including keystroke capture, unauthorized camera access, credential theft from browsers, file uploads and downloads, process and file manipulations, and desktop surveillance.

It spreads by phishing attempts, drive-by downloads, and infected USB keys or networked drives, with the help of Command & Control server software.

The impact of NJRat is especially noticeable in South Africa, where the prevalence is slightly over 2%. In Morocco, the incidence is higher at 8%, and the disease primarily affects Middle Eastern governmental organizations.

According to the report, these are the top 10 African nations that are most susceptible to cyberattacks.