In November 2025, organisations operating in Nigeria faced an average of 3,374 cyberattacks per week, placing the country second among the four African nations analysed in the report. Angola topped the list with 4,251 attacks per organisation weekly, followed by Kenya with 2,384 attacks, while South Africa recorded 1,863.
The figures underscore Nigeria’s heightened exposure to cyber risks, even as Africa as a whole experienced a 13 per cent year-on-year decline in attacks. According to Check Point Research, government institutions, financial services companies, and firms in the consumer goods and services sector were the most targeted across the continent during the month.
Globally, the cyber threat landscape continued to intensify. Organisations worldwide recorded an average of 2,003 cyberattacks per week in November, representing a 3 per cent increase from October and a 4 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2024. Researchers attributed the sustained growth largely to the expansion of ransomware operations and new risks emerging from the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence technologies.
Education and government institutions were under particular pressure. The education sector emerged as the most attacked globally, with institutions facing an average of 4,656 attacks per organisation per week in November, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase. Government bodies followed with 2,716 weekly attacks, while associations and non-profit organisations saw a sharp 57 per cent surge to 2,550 attacks per week.
Beyond traditional cybercrime, the report raised concerns about the growing risks associated with enterprise use of generative AI tools. Check Point Research found that one in every 35 GenAI prompts submitted from enterprise networks globally during November carried a high risk of sensitive data leakage.
The findings suggest that AI tools are now deeply embedded in everyday business operations. About 87 per cent of organisations that regularly use GenAI tools were affected by high-risk prompts, while an additional 22 per cent of prompts contained potentially sensitive information, including internal communications, customer data, proprietary code, or personal identifiers.
On average, organisations now use 11 different GenAI tools each month, many of which operate outside formal security and governance frameworks. This fragmented adoption, researchers warned, increases the likelihood of accidental data exposure and creates fresh entry points for cybercriminals, including ransomware groups and AI-enabled attackers.
Ransomware activity continued to accelerate globally in November, with 727 publicly reported incidents, marking a 22 per cent year-on-year increase. North America accounted for 55 per cent of reported cases, followed by Europe with 18 per cent, but emerging markets such as Africa also continue to feel the impact.
Industrial manufacturing, business services, and consumer goods and services were the most affected industries worldwide. The most active ransomware groups during the month were Qilin, Clop, and Akira, which together accounted for a significant share of disclosed victims.
Regionally, Latin America recorded the highest attack volumes, averaging 3,048 attacks per organisation per week, up 17 per cent year on year. Africa experienced a decline overall, Europe saw a marginal 1 per cent decrease, North America recorded a 9 per cent increase driven partly by ransomware activity, while the Asia-Pacific region remained relatively flat.
The report’s findings come at a critical time for Nigeria, which is accelerating digital transformation across finance, education, telecommunications, and government services. While these efforts promise efficiency gains and economic growth, they also expand the country’s digital attack surface.
The risks are not theoretical. During Nigeria’s most recent general elections, authorities said they successfully blocked more than 200 cyberattacks targeting the digital infrastructure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), underscoring both the scale of the threat and the importance of sustained investment in cybersecurity.