06 Nov Surge in AI-powered cyber attacks hits Africa

Cybersecurity firms are reporting an alarming increase in AI-driven attacks across Africa, with cybercriminals leveraging advanced technologies to escalate phishing campaigns and deploy deepfake impersonations against governmental and corporate targets.

According to a recent report by Microsoft, the landscape of cybercrime in Africa is evolving rapidly, as deepfake-related fraud has surged nearly threefold in the past year.

Voice scams, in particular, have contributed significantly to this rise in generative AI-driven attacks. Meanwhile, phishing remains the most prevalent threat, with attackers using AI to generate authentic-sounding messages in native languages and cultural contexts, achieving a click-through rate of 54 per cent—4.5 times higher than traditional methods.

The findings are echoed by threat intelligence firm Group-IB, which noted a dramatic increase in attacks, particularly in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and South Africa—the four countries most frequently targeted by cybercriminals.

However, phishing is not the only concern, as Business Email Compromise (BEC) has emerged as a highly effective attack vector.

South Africa and Nigeria are now seen as hubs for BEC infrastructure and money mule recruitment. Although BEC attacks represent just 2 per cent of global threats, they account for a staggering 21 per cent of successful attacks in Africa, according to Microsoft. Additionally, ransomware attacks comprise 16 per cent of successful incidents in the region.

AI has also fuelled the rise of social engineering attacks, particularly targeting businesses in Africa and the Middle East.

In light of this escalating threat, Microsoft has noted an uptick in state-sponsored cyber activities aimed at African organisations, with more than 150 cybersecurity incidents linked to nation-state actors, particularly in Egypt, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

In response to the growing cybersecurity challenges, both organisations and national governments across Africa are ramping up their efforts via new initiatives.

Kerissa Varma, chief security advisor for Africa at Microsoft, says: “Africa is increasingly being targeted by identity-based and AI-driven threats — and AI has significantly reduced the time attackers need for reconnaissance.

“AI-generated content is flooding digital spaces, overwhelming traditional detection systems and enabling deepfake-enabled fraud, voice cloning, and the creation of synthetic identities at scale.”