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As the African continent continues its digital transformation, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with AI emerging as a tool for more strategic and effective attacks – including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) strikes.
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Bryan Hamman, regional director for Africa at NETSCOUT, explains: “We’re witnessing AI not just as a defence mechanism but also as a potential threat amplifier. The adoption of machine learning allows adversaries to automate reconnaissance and tailor attacks at extraordinary scale.”
In many African countries, digital adoption is outpacing cybersecurity measures, placing businesses, governments and individuals in a precarious position. According to Hamman, without the right proactive measures in place, local organisations risk falling victim to AI-powered threat scenarios, where malware can evade traditional defences, phishing attacks become hyper-personalised and response times shrink dangerously.
“AI can be a double-edged sword, and African businesses must ensure they leverage its benefits for better protection, while steering clear of the darker side of AI by staying a step ahead of attackers,” he advises.
GenAI and cyberthreats
Generative AI (GenAI) can take many facets of cyberthreats to new levels. These could include:
- Enhancements to social engineering, such as:
- Crafting more convincing and unique phishing emails.
- Mimicking voices in audio messages.
- Image or video generation:
- Deepfake images have been shown to trick biometric facial recognition if executed correctly.
- Attack scale:
- Scaling an attack to be bigger and better is easier than ever due to the automation AI can empower.
- Automating rudimentary processes, such as sending phishing emails, can allow cyber criminals target more individuals within an organisation to increase their chances of gaining access.
Integration of AI into DDoS attacks now a reality
Furthermore, the integration of AI into denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks is becoming a reality, allowing threat actors to optimise botnet behaviour and target selection, making these disruptions more destructive and difficult to mitigate.
NETSCOUT urges organisations to stay vigilant by investing in AI-driven security solutions and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness through consistent training. “The key lies in not just reacting to threats, but pre-empting them,” Hamman concludes. “As African markets grow, robust, AI-driven cybersecurity strategies will become increasingly crucial to ensuring that digital innovation is secure and sustainable.”
NETSCOUT’s Arbor DDoS protection assures the world’s largest networks and service providers against DDoS attacks of all shapes and sizes. For more information, please visit https://www.netscout.com/
