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Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria Top Cyber Threat Incidents In West Africa – Report

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11 months ago

November 6, 2024

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Ghana has led the West African region in both the frequency and diversity of cyber threats for the first half of 2024, facing a high volume of distributed denial of service attacks directed at industries, including computer services and telecommunications, says NETSCOUT’s 1H2024 Distributed Denial of Service Threat Intelligence Report released on the company’s website on Tuesday.

According to the report, Ghana has experienced the highest volume of cyber attacks in West Africa, with the maximum bandwidth of its largest DDoS attack measuring 314.25 Mbps, a total of 4,753 attacks over six months, out of which 2,759 were targeted at computer-related services businesses; while the Republic of Guinea follows with 2,918 cases, with Nigeria coming third place with 2,721 cases of cyber threats.

The report partly read, “Ghana experienced by far the highest volume attack in West Africa, with the maximum bandwidth of its largest DDoS attack measuring 314.25 Mbps. Known for an economic resilience that is driven by agriculture and mining, Guinea surprisingly took the second spot in the NETSCOUT results for West Africa in terms of attack frequency, with 2,918 incidents listed. Wireless telecommunications carriers bore the brunt of these strikes, which were mostly TCP-type attacks.

“Nigeria, a major digital hub in Africa, experienced the third highest volume of cyberattacks in West Africa, coming in at 2,721 for the first half of 2024. Attacks in the computer-related services field were prevalent, as in Ghana, with 867 incidents, but local beauty salons were second on the list for Nigeria, enduring 206 incidents, followed by data processing hosting companies at 116.

“The growing complexity of DDoS threats seen worldwide, including a notable increase in both attack frequency and sophistication, is reflected in Nigeria. The country experienced more complex attacks than others within the region, with 23 different attacks vendors seen in one single attack, from TCP and CLDAP (Connection-less Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) attacks to Domain Name System (DNS) amplification and many more”, states Bryan Hamman, regional director for Africa at NETSCOUT.

“Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia both faced similar attack frequencies, with 1,598 and 1,515 incidents noted respectively. The two countries also experienced similarities in the types of attack vectors used – mostly TCP-related – as well as the sector that was hardest hit, which was wireless telecommunications for both.”

The report stressed that wireless telecommunications carriers were identified as the prime targets for threat actors in the Republic of Benin, recording 196 incidents, 107 in Senegal, 32 in Mali, and 16 in Cameroon.

The Regional Director for Africa at NETSCOUT, Bryan Hamman, noted the report “Is in line with NETSCOUT’s Global Threat Intelligence Report figures, which measured attacks on the sector at 834,471 for the first part of 2024, a substantial 34% increase on the figures seen for 2H 2023, which was calculated at 622,295. We believe this points to an objective by cybercriminals to disrupt critical communication infrastructure.”

Interestingly, although Cameroon fell more within the middle of the pack in terms of attack frequency, at 544, its largest DDoS attack reached 118.05 Gbps in bandwidth, much higher than the statistics seen for Senegal (27.31 Gbps) for instance, Guinea (12.35 Gbps) or Mali (0.81 Gbps).

He added, “In some cases, as seen by Cameroon and Ghana as well as Nigeria (134.86 Gbps), attack volumes can reach more than 100 Gbps, requiring upstream providers to mitigate the attack. Although many smaller attacks, such as those around 1Gbps, often bypass detection and mitigation by upstream providers due to being below-configured thresholds, they can still have a severe impact on enterprises.

“Statistics from NETSCOUT’s latest report show that generally, countries within West Africa have not been as heavily targeted as the likes of Morocco in the north of the continent, or South Africa in the SADC region. The latter falls within the top five most targeted countries within the entire Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

“This being said, we are certainly seeing variabilities in attack types and targets across West Africa, reinforcing the need for country-specific cyber defences and resilient strategies to protect these growing digital economies. While the West African threat landscape cybersecurity challenges may align in many areas with worldwide trends, the nuances in each country’s threat landscape highlight the importance of localised security strategies to protect both critical and emerging digital infrastructures.

“NETSCOUT’s Threat Intelligence Report provides essential insights to help West African organisations bolster their cybersecurity defences. By leveraging these findings, businesses across the region can effectively mitigate these evolving threats and secure their digital ecosystems.”

Related Topics:#Nigeria Africa Ghana West Africa

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US Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Mocked Kirk’s Assassination

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1 hour ago

October 15, 2025

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The United States has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly mocked or celebrated the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The State Department said the decision followed an internal review of social media posts deemed “offensive and contrary to U.S. values,” adding that the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and a strong ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead during a political rally on 10 September.

His killing drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, with many describing the act as a targeted attack on free speech.

According to U.S. authorities, at least six individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, and Germany had their visas revoked after making comments online that celebrated Kirk’s murder or insulted his supporters.

Examples cited by officials included posts calling Kirk a racist who deserved it, and messages mocking grieving Americans.

“We will not tolerate foreigners who promote or celebrate acts of violence against U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The move underscores Washington’s growing use of immigration powers to respond to online behaviour perceived as threatening or disrespectful towards the country.

The Department said it continues to monitor social media content for evidence of incitement or endorsement of violence.
Civil liberties advocates, however, have questioned the decision, arguing that revoking visas for social media comments could set a worrying precedent.

Officials maintained that the visa cancellations were lawful, limited in scope, and aimed at protecting national integrity.

“Freedom of speech does not extend to foreigners seeking the privilege of entry while glorifying violence,” the spokesperson added.

The United States has increased visa scrutiny in recent years, requiring applicants to disclose social media handles and online activity.

The policy, officials say, is designed to prevent extremist sympathisers or those expressing hostility towards the country from entering its borders

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Israeli PM Netanyahu Back In Court For Graft Trial

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3 hours ago

October 15, 2025

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020.

The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal.

It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases.

His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump’s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot.

During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.

Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases.

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”

The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.

Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel’s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

AFP

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FULL LIST: US Set To Carry Out Four Executions This Week

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3 hours ago

October 15, 2025

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A Florida man convicted of murdering two women he hired for sex was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday, one of four executions to be carried out in the United States this week.

Samuel Smithers, 72, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1996 killings of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach in Tampa. They had been beaten and strangled and their bodies were found in a pond.

Smithers was executed at a Florida state prison at 6:15 pm (2215 GMT), the 14th execution in the southern state this year.

Another convicted murderer was also put to death by lethal injection in the midwestern state of Missouri on Tuesday.

The execution of Lance Shockley, 48, was carried out at 6:13 pm (2313 GMT) for the 2005 murder of a police sergeant, Carl Graham.

Graham was gunned down in an ambush at his home. The officer had been investigating a fatal car accident involving Shockley at the time.

Shockley maintained his innocence but his appeals were rejected by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe rejected his clemency request on Monday.

Two other executions are scheduled this week.

Charles Crawford, 59, is to be put to death by lethal injection in Mississippi on Wednesday for the 1994 rape and murder of Kristy Ray, a 20-year-old college student.

Richard Djerf, 55, is to be executed by lethal injection in Arizona on Friday for the brutal 1993 murders of four members of a Phoenix family.

In a letter last month apologizing for the crime, Djerf said he was ready to die and would not seek clemency.

“If I can’t find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have?” he wrote.

There have been 37 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2013, when 39 inmates were put to death.

Florida has carried out the most executions with 14, followed by Texas with five and South Carolina and Alabama with four.

Thirty-one of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and four by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and, on his first day in office, called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”