The number of bot attacks originating from the Middle East and Africa has witnessed a significant surge in the past year. A comprehensive survey conducted on US and UK businesses revealed that these regions accounted for 34% of all reported attacks. The research, carried out by cybersecurity firm Netacea, highlighted that 21% of bot attacks originated from the Middle East, while 13% originated from Africa in the last 12 months.
Cyril Noel Tagoe, a principal security researcher at Netacea, shed light on the primary motives behind such bot attacks. According to Tagoe, the most common aims of these attacks are gaining unauthorized access to streaming service accounts, stealing and reselling gift cards at a discounted price, and purchasing limited or high-demand items like event tickets or sneakers. Surprisingly, conducting these attacks does not require advanced tools or technologies, as open-source software such as OpenBullet can be used. All that is necessary is a configuration file to identify the target.
The research emphasized that the e-commerce sector encountered the highest number of bot attacks, with 28% of online retailers reporting attacks originating from the Middle East last year. Following e-commerce, the telecommunications industry experienced a significant share of attacks (22%), followed by financial services (20%), and travel and online gaming (both 18%). These sectors also reported notable attacks originating from the Middle East.
Out of the attacks originating from Africa, e-commerce platforms faced the highest number of incidents (16%), closely followed by online gaming (15%) and financial services (13%).
Analyzing the geographic distribution of attackers, the research demonstrated that the proportion of bot attacks originating from the Middle East has steadily increased over the past three years. In 2020, it stood at just 2%, but rose to 13% in 2021, and further escalated to 21% in the past year. Conversely, the percentage of attacks originating from Africa experienced a slight decline, dropping from a peak of 16% in 2021 to 5% in 2022.
Tagoe acknowledged that bot attacks may not always genuinely originate from the countries they seem to come from. Attackers often employ tactics such as using proxies to disguise their true locations. However, he emphasized that there is compromised infrastructure in the Middle East and Africa, which attackers from other regions exploit. Consequently, these attacks appear to originate from the Middle East and Africa due to the utilization of compromised local infrastructure.
The increasing prevalence of bot attacks from the Middle East and Africa poses significant challenges for businesses operating in these regions. It necessitates a heightened focus on cybersecurity measures, particularly in the e-commerce, telecommunications, financial services, and online gaming sectors. Strengthening security protocols and implementing advanced threat detection systems will be crucial in mitigating the risks associated with bot attacks.
Overall, the rise in bot attacks originating from the Middle East and Africa underscores the need for continuous vigilance and proactive cybersecurity measures. Businesses must stay abreast of evolving threats and invest in robust security infrastructure to safeguard their systems, protect customer data, and maintain operational integrity.