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Morocco and Egypt lead Northern Africa ’ s top DDoS attacks finds NETSCOUT
As Northern African nations continue their rapid digital transformation , this expanding connectivity can be viewed both as a vital enabler and a vulnerability . As such , countries such as Egypt , Tunisia , Algeria , Libya and Morocco are witnessing a marked increase in DDoS , Distributed Denial of Service attacks , underscoring the broader significance of the region ’ s cybersecurity needs .
NETSCOUT ’ s 1H2024 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report , TIR sheds light on the specific attack trends in each country .
Bryan Hamman , Regional Director for Africa at NETSCOUT , comments : “ The increase in DDoS attacks across Northern Africa measured by NETSCOUT in its latest report reflects the broader cyber risks associated with digital expansion . As organisations in Egypt , Tunisia , Algeria , Libya and Morocco grow their online presence , so too must they adopt robust cybersecurity frameworks to safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure digital resilience .”
Morocco
Unsurprisingly , as this country is leading the way in terms of Internet penetration in Africa at over 90 %, Morocco reported the highest frequencies of DDoS incidents in the region , seeing more than 61,000 attacks over the first half of 2024 . The country experienced a particular emphasis on wireless telecommunications carriers , except satellite , with 16,461 incidents , as well as wired telecommunications carriers , which saw a total of 6,022 .
Egypt
Following Morocco , Egypt ranks as the second most targeted country for DDoS
Bryan Hamman , Regional Director Africa , NETSCOUT
attacks within the area , with 45,108 over the period . Wired telecommunications carriers were the most frequently targeted here , 28,536 attacks , followed by wireless telecommunications carriers , 4,910 and educational institutions , 1,124 . Other sectors noted included data processing and hosting , computing infrastructure providers , scheduled passenger air transportation and software publishers .
The country was subjected to some of the highest bandwidth attacks in the region , peaking at 332.96 Gbps , and highlighting the urgent need for enhanced security measures within Egypt ’ s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure .
Tunisia
In Tunisia , DDoS attacks – which totalled 4,511 for the first half of the year – focused predominantly on wired and wireless telecommunications carriers , with 3,529 and 574 attacks seen respectively .
The NETSCOUT report states that Tunisia experienced the highest number of vectors in a single attack . Attackers used up to 27 vectors , such as ARMS , Apple Remote Management Service , CLDAP , Connectionless Lightweight Directory Access Protocol , COAP , Constrained Application Protocol and DNS , Domain Name System amplification techniques , which can significantly amplify the power of an attack .
Libya
In Libya , DDoS attacks have increased in both volume and sophistication as the country ’ s digital infrastructure develops to meet growing connectivity demands . The primary attack vectors reported during 1H 2024 included DNS amplification , which was used in 698 incidents ; ICMP , Internet Control Message Protocol , seen in 337 attacks ; STUN , Session Traversal Utilities for Network Address Translator , 211 attacks ; and more . In fact , 23 different vectors were seen in a single attack .
Algeria
Having experienced the fewest DDoS attacks , at 452 over the first half of 2024 , Algeria ’ s primary DDoS targets are in the wired telecommunications sector , with 411 incidents , as well as computing infrastructure providers . Cybercriminals primarily use DNS amplification techniques , emphasising Algeria ’ s need for resilient network protection solutions to sustain its critical communications infrastructure . p
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