Telecom
Sub-Saharan Africa Faces New APT, Cyber mercenary Risks
Cyber mercenaries have become the latest risk amid the main threat actors targeting organisations around the world. This is according to Maher Yamout, senior security researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky, who was speaking during a Kaspersky webinar this week.
Yamout said Kaspersky researchers have detected an increase in cyber mercenary activity this year.
He explained that where cyber criminals usually want to steal data to immediately monetise it, cyber mercenaries typically take data on behalf of someone else, who then uses it to better understand the marketplace to gain a competitive advantage.
Outlining recent threat trends in sub-Saharan Africa, Yamout said there had been a decrease in certain types of attack, but an increase in others – indicating that cyber criminals were adapting to the changing conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Nigeria, PornoBlocker dropped 72.8%, GandCrypt dropped 28.3%, but STOP increased 84%. In South Africa, for example, the incidence of WannaCry decreased by 87%, but PornoBlocker increased by 72% and STOP increased by 94%. STOP propagates using cracked software adware bundles, and its spread may be the result of remote workers using cracked software, he said.
In recent months, the top targeted sectors in SA, Nigeria and Kenya have been government, diplomatic, education, healthcare and the military – often with APT groups targeting one sector and pivoting to use the compromised sector to target another entity. “So sometimes you are the victim, and sometimes you are the target,” Yamout said.
Among the threat actors targeting these industries in sub-Saharan Africa are TransparentTribe, Oilrig, MuddyWater and Unknown. Yamout said: “TransparentTribe is an interesting APT group, presumed to be Asian, which steals targets’ information and data possibly to be used for national security purposes.”
He said this group’s tools, techniques and procedures include macro-based malicious documents, open source tools (Peppy RAT/CrimsonRAT), and they also have the capability to steal data from air gap networks using USBs.
Also a threat in these sectors are Oilrig, which steals sensitive information by exploiting server-based backdoor with stolen credentials and malicious documents with macros droppers; MuddyWater, which uses custom and in-house built toolsets, native Microsoft tools for stealth, and open source tools such as ‘secure socket funnelling’; and Unknown, which uses a shortcut-based dropper using a COVID-19 theme, delivery method over Telegram Messenger and delivery through compromising legitimate Web sites.
Artem Karasev, senior product marketing manager at Kaspersky, noted that endpoints are the most common entry points into an organisation’s infrastructure, with 68% of organisations having fallen victim to endpoint attacks.
“We have observed an overall decrease in the number of attacks, but they are becoming more sophisticated and devastating. At the same time, we see a growing gap in IT security expertise in the market,” he said. Kaspersky said as a result, organisations needed a comprehensive and adaptive cyber security strategy.
In the year ahead, Kaspersky expects to see an increase in cyber mercenaries and APT attacks. “We may see more use of cyber mercenaries to make attribution harder; as well as cyber criminals increasing targeted ransomware deployment through channels such as cracked software, or by exploiting the supply chain, IT or managed services,” Yamout said.
“Data breaches could become more common because everyone is rushing to expose their databases and servers to the Internet. In addition, remote services will remain a major weakness because everyone is exposing their services to the Internet and not everyone is able to cope with security and availability at the same time; while threat actors keep evolving with complex toolsets.”
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced the formation of Airbel Ventures, a new humanitarian impact investing fund aimed at accelerating the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities.
The fund will invest in companies whose ideas have the potential to change humanitarian response, including digital infrastructure for frontline health systems and climate-resilient agriculture.
The launch of Airbel Ventures follows a period of rapid innovation at the IRC, despite the humanitarian sector facing record funding cuts.
In the past year, the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab has advanced more than twenty Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology initiatives—from anticipatory action tools powered by climate and vulnerability data, to frontline service delivery using safe, orchestrated AI systems, to breakthrough diagnostic tools for emerging diseases.
Airbel Ventures’ first impact investment is in Signalytic, a company delivering solar-powered computing devices that ensure reliable electricity and connectivity for remote health facilities.
Following the investment, the IRC will pilot Signalytic’s technology with its Nigeria Health team, demonstrating the viability of next-generation digital infrastructure in humanitarian settings.
“We know breakthrough solutions already exist—what’s missing is the path to scale in humanitarian contexts,” said Dr. Jeannie Annan, Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation at the IRC and head of the Airbel Impact Lab.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecommunications operator, recorded a historic surge in network disruptions in 2025, suffering 9,218 fibre cuts as of December 31, alongside 211 base station sites affected by theft and vandalism, incidents that disrupted mobile and data services relied upon daily by millions of Nigerians.
The data was revealed by Dr Karl Toriola, chief executive officer/managing director, MTN Nigeria via a social media post titled ‘MTN Nigeria 2025 Wrapped’.
The scale of the damage highlights the growing vulnerability of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has come under increasing pressure from road construction activities, cable theft and deliberate acts of vandalism.
MTN said 5,478 fibre cuts occurred within just the first seven months of 2025, with 760 incidents recorded in July alone, underscoring the intensity of the challenge.
Some of the incidents had wide-ranging consequences, knocking out connectivity across multiple states simultaneously and affecting voice calls, data services, digital payments and enterprise operations.
The company described the situation as a national infrastructure problem, rather than an isolated corporate issue, given the economy’s deep dependence on mobile networks.
“These gaps were shaped by real operational challenges such as fibre cuts, theft, and vandalism. Their impact is felt directly by customers and reflected in what they tell us,” Toriola,
The disruptions were reflected in customer feedback volumes, as MTN handled an unprecedented number of complaints during the year. The operator said it resolved 1,624,263 customer complaints in 2025, spanning call centres, social media platforms, emails and physical service centres nationwide.
Despite the setbacks, MTN pointed to signs of operational resilience. The company retained its ranking as Nigeria’s best network by Ookla, returned to profitability after a challenging period, declared an interim dividend, and expanded its subscriber base to over 85 million users by September 2025.
The figures show that while Nigeria’s telecom operators continue to invest heavily in network expansion and customer service, infrastructure sabotage remains a major drag on service quality and operating costs.
MTN acknowledged that performance improvements remain a work in progress. “We are not where we want to be yet. We see you. We hear you. We exist because of you. And we will get better,” Toriola said.
As the company enters its 25th year of operations in Nigeria, Toriola said MTN is doubling down on customer-centricity, treating every piece of feedback as a guide for improvement, while also stepping up engagement with government agencies.
The CEO renewed calls for stronger regulatory and legal protections for telecommunications infrastructure, urging policymakers to classify fibre cables, base stations and other critical assets as national infrastructure and criminalise vandalism to deter repeat attacks.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231 from 225 recorded in December 2025.
NCC
The newly licensed firms are Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited.
Five of these companies are headquartered in Lagos, while Granet Technologies Limited operates from Owerri in Imo State, highlighting the persistent concentration of broadband infrastructure in major commercial hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
This development intensifies competition in Nigeria’s broadband market, which faces pressure from dominant mobile network operators such as MTN and Airtel, alongside rapid expansion by satellite providers like Starlink.
Traditional ISPs continue to grapple with shrinking customer bases, aggressive data pricing from telcos, and satellite disruptions, even as NCC data from Q2 2025 showed Spectranet, Starlink, and FibreOne controlling about 65 per cent of the 313,713 active ISP subscribers.
The inclusion of Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited marks a significant entry of global satellite broadband competition, building on Nigeria’s recent approvals for other low Earth orbit providers to enhance connectivity in underserved areas.
Industry analysts view the licences as a strategic push to improve internet quality amid rising demand for digital services, though geographic clustering underscores ongoing infrastructure challenges outside urban centres.
NCC’s move aligns with broader efforts to foster a competitive telecoms sector critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.
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