Cybersecurity issues caused by DDoS attacks are on the rise in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Mali.
These two countries stand out as the most heavily impacted regions, according to the latest Threat Intelligence Report.
In Nigeria, there were 2,721 reported DDoS attacks in the first half of 2024, which dropped to 1,716 in the second half. Meanwhile, Mali saw a dramatic surge — from only 115 attacks in the first six months of the year to 1,637 in the second half, representing a tenfold increase.
The threat in Nigeria extends beyond volume. It also hosted some of the region’s most complex DDoS campaigns. In one instance, up to 22 different attack vectors were used in a single assault.
These attacks primarily included TCP floods, DNS amplification, and ICMP flood (also known as Ping flood) attacks. DNS amplification was the most commonly used method, closely followed by STUN amplification.
Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also suffered significant DDoS activity. In contrast, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo experienced relatively fewer incidents.