As global cyberespionage campaigns intensify, ESET Nigeria has warned that the defence, technology, and critical infrastructure sectors in West Africa are becoming increasingly attractive targets for sophisticated threat actors.
This is even as Olufemi Ake, the company’s managing director, has urged organisations to prioritise cybersecurity awareness training, as a core part of employee onboarding and operational processes.
His warning follows new research findings by ESET, a global cybersecurity firm, which uncovered a fresh wave of cyberattacks linked to the notorious North Korea–aligned Lazarus Group. The campaign, dubbed Operation DreamJob, reportedly targeted several European defence contractors, particularly those involved in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development and manufacturing.
According to ESET researchers, the Lazarus Group used a mix of social engineering, trojanized GitHub projects, and a remote access tool (RAT) known as ScoringMathTea to gain access to sensitive systems. Their suspected goal was the theft of intellectual property, design blueprints, and advanced drone technology that could feed into North Korea’s rapidly expanding UAV program.
While the attacks were concentrated in Europe, Ake said the developments underscore a global pattern that African nations cannot ignore. He emphasised that the growing digital interconnectivity, defence collaborations, and emerging tech hubs in West Africa make the region an attractive destination for cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors seeking indirect access to global supply chains.
“It is an attractive region for cyberattacks. With increasing digital connectivity, expansion of defence partnerships, and the rise of numerous innovation hubs, individuals have become potential entry points for both direct cyber threats and indirect access to critical systems,” Ake warned.
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Ake noted that the risk extends beyond defence industries. He identified government agencies, engineering and technology firms, power and telecommunications operators, and financial institutions as sectors at heightened risk due to their access to large data pools, strategic infrastructure, or proprietary technologies.
To mitigate these risks, the ESET Nigeria boss called for a strategic shift in how organisations approach cybersecurity, one that focuses not only on technology but also on human awareness.
“Cybersecurity awareness training should no longer be treated as an optional corporate exercise. It must be an integral part of employee onboarding and continuous learning programs. Humans remain the weakest link in the security chain, and cybercriminals exploit this through increasingly convincing social engineering techniques,” he said
Ake stressed the need for multi-layered protection, including robust endpoint security, advanced threat detection systems, and regular system updates. But beyond technical defences, he said, educating staff about phishing schemes, fraudulent job offers, and data handling best practices could significantly reduce exposure to threats like Operation DreamJob.
“Our defence systems are only as strong as the people operating them. Organisations that invest in their people, through awareness and preparedness, stand a better chance of detecting and stopping attacks before they cause damage,” he added.
In a broader policy recommendation, Ake urged West African governments to treat cybersecurity as a national security priority, integrated into the region’s economic and digital transformation agendas.
“As countries across the region continue their digital transformation journeys, cyber resilience must be made a top priority. Achieving this will require regional collaboration, sustained awareness campaigns, and long-term investment in cybersecurity capacity-building to safeguard national interests, economic growth, and public trust in digital systems,” he said.
The latest ESET findings reinforce a trend that has worried security experts for years: ‘the globalisation of cyber conflict’, where attacks in one continent can expose vulnerabilities in another. With defence, energy, and financial networks increasingly interlinked, Ake’s message to African stakeholders is clear: cybersecurity readiness is not just a technical necessity but a strategic imperative.
