Cyberattacks on the African continent are growing faster and more importantly, they are evolving. Based on three examples, Benoit Grünemwald demonstrated, during the online show SIT Africa, that groups of cyber-spies were rampant in Africa.

Cyber-spy groups are using proven and stealthy techniques to operate in Africa and cover their tracks. Benoit Grünemwald, cybersecurity expert at ESET for France and French-speaking Africa, demonstrated this during the SIT Africa exhibition, which was held entirely online from September 21 to 23, 2021. In particular, he explains how certain cyberattacks targeting African territories are actually hiding massive cyber espionage campaigns. This year 2021, ESET has identified three cybercriminal groups targeting African countries: Lazarus, TA410 and BackdoorDiplomacy.

Lazarus is notably accused of being behind the attack on Sony Pictures in 216 and the WannaCry ransomware in 2017, the first of its kind to spread internationally. TA410 is accused of leading a campaign to hack critical infrastructure, including power grids, in North America in 2019 and 2020 using backdoors called LookBack and FlowCloud. BackdoorDiplomacy is new. It mainly attacks foreign ministries in Europe (Germany, Austria), India, the Middle East (United Arab Emirates and a charity in Saudi Arabia) and Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa) , but also to telecommunications companies (in Libya).