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Incidents, in-depth analyses and digital policies — read in African context.
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Editorial coverage by pillar
Published analysis count, not recorded attack volume.
MESOB and Fayda: security becomes central when 185 Ethiopian services share one doorway
Ethiopia has launched MESOB, a unified platform providing access to more than 185 public services through the Fayda digital identity. The model can simplify government, but it also concentrates identity, API and availability risks.
Nigeria's 3G retirement is a security project, not only a spectrum project
MTN is preparing to retire some African 3G networks before 2030 as 3G falls to 5.32% of Nigerian connections. Removing a legacy layer can improve security, but unidentified dependencies in payment terminals, telemetry and backup links could create avoidable outages.
SS7, Diameter and SIMjacker: invisible telecom surveillance also concerns Africa
Citizen Lab documented two telecom surveillance campaigns in April 2026 exploiting SS7, Diameter and hidden SIM commands. Operator identifiers linked to Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Morocco, Namibia and Lesotho appeared in the observed infrastructure, requiring action from African regulators and mobile operators.
Operation Sentinel: what 574 arrests reveal about African cybercrime
INTERPOL coordinated Operation Sentinel across 19 African countries, leading to 574 arrests, USD 3 million recovered, more than 6,000 malicious links taken down and six ransomware variants decrypted. The lesson is operational: African cybercrime now has infrastructure, and response must target that infrastructure.
New submarine cable break: East Africa degrades for 11 hours
Simultaneous breaks on the EASSy and SEACOM cables caused internet outages affecting Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. The incident reignites the debate on the resilience of Africa's intercontinental connections.
Ransomware in West African hospitals: the health sector under pressure
Three hospitals in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire suffered ransomware attacks in May 2026. Clinical information systems were encrypted. The return to pen and paper lasted several days.
Why Fintech Security Matters More Than Ever in Africa
African fintech has brought hundreds of millions into the formal financial system. M-Pesa, Wave, Moniepoint, and dozens of others have transformed how a continent transacts. But the attack surface has grown faster than the security posture — and the consequences of a major breach are now systemic, not just corporate.
Cloud Sovereignty in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
As African governments and enterprises migrate to cloud platforms, data sovereignty has moved from academic debate to strategic urgency. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are present but concentrated. Most African countries still route sensitive data through foreign jurisdictions. Here is what is at stake — and what a credible African response looks like.
How African Telecom Operators Are Facing Increasing Cyber Threats
MTN, Orange, Safaricom, Airtel — Africa's telecom giants carry the continent's financial flows, government communications, and digital identity infrastructure. They are also under sustained attack from SIM swap fraud, SS7 exploitation, and targeted ransomware campaigns. Here is what is happening and what must change.
The State of Cyber Infrastructure in Africa 2026
Africa's digital transformation has accelerated dramatically — but so has the attack surface. From ransomware targeting ports and hospitals to SS7 exploitation and mobile money fraud, the continent faces a cyber threat landscape that outpaces current defenses. Here is where things stand in 2026.
Lesotho 2023: the cyberattack that halted interbank payments
In December 2023, a cyber incident at the Central Bank of Lesotho led to systems being suspended and made interbank transactions unavailable during the initial response. For smaller economies, central bank cyber resilience is national infrastructure.
Kenya's eCitizen outage: when a DDoS attack blocks digital public services
In July 2023, Kenya confirmed that a DDoS attack made eCitizen unavailable, while officially reporting no access to or loss of data. The incident shows why African digital government must protect service availability as seriously as stored information.
Transnet 2021: the cyberattack that exposed African ports' digital dependency
In July 2021, an IT security breach at Transnet disrupted South African port operations before the NAVIS N4 container system was restored. The incident shows why port cybersecurity is a regional trade and economic continuity issue.
Nigeria: NDPC issues its first significant fine under the NDPA
The NDPC has fined a Nigerian fintech 50 million naira for violations of the Nigeria Data Protection Act. It is the first substantive sanction since the NDPA came into force in 2023.
AI phishing, deepfakes and payment fraud: African organisations must verify trust differently
INTERPOL reported in 2026 that actors operating particularly in West and Southern Africa increasingly use AI, deepfakes and automated phishing tools to commit fraud at scale. Payment and identity verification now need to be treated as core cyber defences.
Synthetic images and sextortion: AI is scaling an existing African cyber threat
INTERPOL reports a rise in African extortion schemes using AI-generated or altered explicit images, with the highest numbers recorded in Morocco, Mali, Egypt and Mauritania. Defending digital trust now means protecting people from scalable, personalised coercion.
Africa's Data Breach Crisis: A Silent Reality That Could Explode
Standard Bank, FlySafair, MTN — data breaches in Africa are real and multiplying. But unlike Europe, they remain largely undisclosed, rarely sanctioned, and almost never publicly analysed. Is Africa less targeted? Or is it simply not yet equipped to see, measure, and talk about the problem?
France, URSSAF, Free, OFII: Europe's 2026 Data Breach Tsunami and What Africa Must Learn
January 2026 was the most breach-heavy month ever recorded for French organizations: 250 million records exposed, a €42M fine against Free telecom, 12 million payroll records stolen via URSSAF, and 2.1 million immigration files leaked. Behind these European headlines lies a critical strategic lesson for African decision-makers.
MTN Nigeria: SS7 interception and subscriber data exposure
An SS7 interception campaign targeting MTN Nigeria exposes SIM numbers for millions of subscribers. The implications for mobile fintech are immediate.
The EU's AI Act reaches Africa — without Africa's input
The EU's AI certification framework directly affects systems deployed across Africa: mobile credit scoring, e-ID, fraud detection. Five countries must align. The African Union has its own answer.
Ivanti Connect Secure: mapping African exposure
CVE-2026-8941 in Ivanti Connect Secure directly affects remote-access VPNs deployed across major African telecoms. An overview of exposed operators.