Nigeria has emerged as one of the most affected countries in global cybersecurity incidents this year, with 566,300 accounts leaked in 2025. According to cybersecurity firm Surfshark, the country ranked 16th globally in Q3 2025, recording 408,900 leaked accounts in that period alone. Analysts warn that the rising use of AI tools is enabling even minor data breaches to be exploited on a massive scale, putting more Nigerians at risk of identity theft and online fraud.
Surfshark’s Senior Product Manager, Sarunas Sereika, highlighted that AI has lowered the technical barrier for cybercriminals. “Previously, exploiting leaked data required significant skill, but AI now allows attackers to rapidly analyze and weaponize even seemingly insignificant information,” Sereika said. This transformation turns ordinary data, like names, addresses, and preferences, into highly personalized cyberattacks, intensifying the risk for compromised users.
While global data breaches are showing a slight decline, Nigeria’s situation is worsening. In Q2 2025, approximately 0.3 accounts per minute were breached in the country, but this number skyrocketed to 3.2 accounts per minute in Q3, marking a tenfold increase. Globally, breach rates have fallen from 899 accounts per minute in Q2 to 699 accounts per minute in Q3, highlighting Nigeria’s alarming divergence from worldwide trends.
Surfshark’s historical data shows that Nigeria ranks third in Sub-Saharan Africa with 23.7 million compromised accounts since 2004. Of these, 7.6 million unique emails and 13.1 million passwords were leaked, exposing more than half of affected users to potential account takeovers, financial loss, or identity theft. Statistically, 10 out of every 100 Nigerians have been impacted by data breaches, underscoring the widespread vulnerability in the country’s digital ecosystem.
Globally, Europe was the most affected region in Q3 2025, followed by North America and Asia. One in every 2.3 breached accounts came from Europe, with French accounts alone representing 40% of that total. The U.S., Germany, India, and Canada were also among the most impacted countries. While Nigeria faces growing internal challenges, these global figures reflect the broader urgency for improved cybersecurity measures worldwide.
source: The Guardian