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As organisations across Africa accelerate their AI-driven digital transformation, cyber attackers are moving even faster, exploiting new AI systems, data pipelines, and autonomous agents that were never designed with security in mind, according to new research from Check Point Software Technologies.
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“AI transformation is no longer theoretical — it’s happening right now. But too many organisations are modernising faster than they are securing. That gap is quickly becoming one of the most serious business risks in the region,” said Ian van Rensburg, Head of Security Engineering, Africa at Check Point Software Technologies.
Findings from the Check Point AI Threat Landscape Report (January–February 2026) show that African organisations now face more than 3,000 cyberattacks per organisation per week on average, the highest volume globally. At the same time, enterprises are rapidly deploying generative and agentic AI across business operations — often without visibility, governance, or protection.
AI Is Transforming Both Innovation and the Threat Landscape
The report marks the beginning of what Check Point researchers describe as the Agentic Era — a shift from AI as a productivity aid to AI as an operational system capable of acting autonomously across enterprise environments.
In one documented case, a single developer used an AI-powered development environment to generate 88,000 lines of malware code in under a week, compressing months of development into days and dramatically accelerating the pace of cybercrime.
At the same time, enterprises are embedding AI into workflows, customer engagement, analytics, and decision-making. Check Point’s analysis found that 90% of organisations using generative AI experienced high-risk prompt activity, with one in every 31 prompts risking the exposure of sensitive data, including proprietary code and confidential business information.
Employees now use an average of 10 or more AI tools, creating widespread Shadow AI environments — invisible to traditional security controls and increasingly attractive to attackers.
“AI has changed the economics of both innovation and cybercrime. Attackers are operating at machine speed, while many organisations are still defending at human speed,” van Rensburg said.
Implications for Governance, Trust, and National AI Strategies
The findings carry important implications for policymakers as governments across Africa advance national AI strategies. As South Africa prepares to finalise its draft AI policy framework, Check Point is calling for security-by-design and risk-based governance to be embedded from the outset.
Insights from Check Point’s research highlight the risks of fragmented AI adoption — where organisations deploy multiple tools without centralised controls, increasing exposure to data leakage, credential theft, and unintended supply-chain risk.
“AI adoption at scale requires trust. Without clear risk classification, visibility, and accountability, AI systems can quickly become a blind spot rather than a competitive advantage,” said Hendrik de Bruin, Head of Security Consulting for SADC at Check Point Software Technologies.
Why AI Transformation Demands a New Security Model
Check Point warns that traditional security approaches — focused on networks, endpoints, and cloud infrastructure alone — are no longer sufficient in an AI-first world.
“AI must be secured as a system, not as a tool,” van Rensburg said. “That means protecting models, data, prompts, APIs, and autonomous agents — not just the infrastructure around them.”
This shift underpins Check Point’s prevention-first approach to AI security, which is designed to stop misuse, data leakage, and compromise before damage occurs. Through its AI Blueprint and AI Defense Plane, Check Point is addressing AI security end-to-end — securing how AI systems are built, accessed, and operated as organisations scale transformation.
“Security is not a barrier to AI adoption. It’s the foundation that allows AI transformation to scale safely, confidently, and responsibly,” van Rensburg added.
Securing AI as a Catalyst for Growth
While AI presents a historic opportunity for productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth across Africa, Check Point emphasises that only secure AI transformation will be sustainable.
“Organisations that treat security as an afterthought will struggle to realise AI’s full value,” van Rensburg concluded. “Those that build AI on a prevention-first, resilient foundation will be the ones that lead — not just in innovation, but in trust.”
