Botswana Condemned as Cyber Crime Capital of Africa, Report Reveals

A recent report by Modley, a global leader in network and endpoint security, has confirmed earlier findings that Botswana is the epicenter of cybercrime in Africa. The report, which polled over 2,500 IT technicians from businesses across 45 African countries, reveals that 63 percent of Botswana-based companies were hit by cyber attacks in 2018.

Cyber Attacks in Botswana

• 41 percent of significant cyber attacks were found on servers
• 37 percent were detected on networks
• 19 percent of threats discovered in Botswana were on mobile devices, almost twice the global average

The report highlights that IT security remains a major concern across Africa, with an astonishing 69 percent of organizations surveyed falling victim to cyber attacks in 2018.

The Impact of Cyber Attacks in Botswana

• 60 percent of Botswana-based IT managers who fell prey to cyber attacks in 2018 were unable to identify how the attackers gained entry
• A staggering 43 percent did not know how long the threat was present before it was detected

To mitigate this problem, Modley has recommended that IT managers make concerted efforts to safeguard their servers, which are increasingly being used to store sensitive data such as financial and employee information.

Historical Context

Earlier findings by Check Point also revealed that a total of 37,889 cyber attacks originated from Botswana in 2017, accounting for three percent of all cyber attacks on the African continent. Botswana ranked eighth among Africa’s ten biggest sources of cyber attacks, with South Africa emerging as the leading source, accounting for 25 percent of all attacks.

Call to Action

As the report underscores, it is crucial that businesses and organizations in Botswana take immediate action to strengthen their cybersecurity measures to protect against these increasingly sophisticated threats.