South Africa has emerged as the continent’s leading target for cybercriminals, accounting for the majority of ransomware and business email compromise detections across Africa…reports Africa Daily News Desk
South Africa has emerged as the primary target for cybercriminals in Africa, accounting for the overwhelming majority of ransomware, phishing and business email compromise detections across the continent, according to Interpol’s latest assessment of cyber threats.
The findings were outlined in Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, released on Monday and compiled using information from 36 African countries. The report described Southern Africa as “the continent’s most digitally advanced and most heavily targeted region,” with South Africa accounting for the bulk of several major cyberattack categories.
According to the report, South Africa recorded 92 per cent of all ransomware detections in Africa tracked by TrendAI. The country also experienced 213,523 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, including a single incident peaking at 312 gigabits per second.
South Africa was also responsible for nearly 40 per cent of all phishing detections across Africa recorded by cybersecurity company SOCRadar and 70 per cent of business email compromise detections in 2025 based on TrendAI data.
The report warned that cybercrime across Africa has evolved from isolated criminal activity into “an industrialized, borderless ecosystem,” increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and automated technologies.
Financial losses linked to cybercrime across the continent have more than doubled since 2024, rising from US$192 million to US$484 million, according to the assessment.
Online scams remained the most commonly reported cybercrime in Africa in 2025, with criminals increasingly exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and artificial intelligence to target victims.
The report found that 72 per cent of surveyed African countries reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration located in Southern and West Africa.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region,” said Neal Jetton, director of Interpol’s cybercrime unit.
“AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack, from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion,” Jetton said.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” he added.
Despite having some of the continent’s most developed cybersecurity frameworks, countries in Southern Africa remain vulnerable to the growing speed and scale of AI-enabled cyberattacks, the report said.
