Phishing has overtaken other attack methods to become Africa’s most prevalent cyber threat. It now accounts for 31% of all cyber incidents across the continent. This isl above the global average of 28%. This was revealed by ESET in its latest Threat Report covering the period between November 2024 and May 2025.
ESET says the surge is as a result of Africa’s rapid digital transformation.
“It’s a perfect storm of opportunity and vulnerability,” said Allan Juma, Cybersecurity Engineer at ESET East Africa. “People and businesses are moving online faster than security practices can catch up and cybercriminals are exploiting the gap.”
Phishing scams targeting mobile money and digital banking platforms such as M-Pesa, EcoBank, and GTBank, are now common across the continent. SMS phishing is growing quickly, with attackers impersonating trusted providers to gain access to sensitive data or initiate unauthorized transactions.
A Rising Global Threat
The report highlights the emergence of a threat called ClickFix. This is a technique thricks users into running malicious PowerShell scripts on their devices. Global detections of ClickFix increased by over 500% in just six months and they now account for nearly 8% of all blocked attacks worldwide.
While still less common in Africa, ClickFix is gaining traction, with detection rates now at 6.8%.
“This threat is quietly but quickly spreading,” said Juma. “With rapid digital adoption and low public awareness, it could become one of the most disruptive forces in Africa’s cyber landscape if not addressed.”
ESET’s report calls for a coordinated effort across governments, businesses, and individuals to build stronger digital defenses and improve cybersecurity literacy across Africa.
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