South Africa ranks as no. 1 target for cyberattacks in Africa

As an organisation, you shouldn’t be asking whether your business will face a cyberattack or cybersecurity incident, but when. Cybercrime has rapidly increased over the past few years. In 2025, cyberattacks will cost the world economy an estimated $10,5 trillion in 2025. From phishing, malware, ransomware, identity theft, hacking, social media fraud, to social engineering, cyber threats are no longer just a technology problem but a business problem.

South African enterprises are no exception—every business is a potential target for cybercriminals. Over the past two years, advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning have equipped cybercriminals to orchestrate and successfully execute sophisticated cyberattacks. According to Techcentral, cyberattacks is expected to cost the South African economy R2,2 billion this year.

SA tops the cybercriminal target list

Unfortunately, South Africa was recently identified as ‘the most targeted African country for cybercrime, accounting for 40% of ransomware attacks and nearly 35% of infostealer incidents on the continent’, states Newzroom Africa. Cybersecurity incidents on government bodies, such as the South African Weather Service and National Health Laboratory Service, and well-established brands like Dis-Chem, reflect the rising threat level that South Africa’s public service sector and organisations face.

Several factors are contributing to the country’s weak cybersecurity infrastructure, including a lack of cybercrime investment, inadequate cybercrime legislation, and ineffective law enforcement prosecution. However, the main culprit contributing to South Africa’s status as the number one target for cyber threats on the African continent is a lack of awareness.

In fact, our country’s cybersecurity statistics are quite shocking. Only 5% of South African companies have “ranked at the ‘mature’ level of readiness, which is required to be resilient against modern cybersecurity risks,” (Source: BusinessTech).

Too many organisations still see cyber attacks as an irrelevant global problem, not a high-risk local threat. This has resulted in a reactive mind-set when it comes to cybersecurity measures, leading to numerous catastrophic financial, operational, and reputational damage events that could have been prevented.