Nigeria recorded over 119,000 leaked data breaches in the first quarter of 2025, the latest global data breach report from cybersecurity firm Surfshark has revealed.
Surfshark’s research is based on data gathered from 29,000 publicly available databases. According to Surfshark’s long-term data, Nigeria remains one of the most affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa when it comes to data breaches.
The research reveals that 10 in every 100 Nigerians have been affected by data breaches. Further analysis indicates an 85 percent drop in the number of leaked accounts in Nigeria from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, in line with a global trend that saw leaked accounts plunge 93 percent year-on-year, from 973.7 million in Q1 2024 to just 68.3 million in Q1 2025.
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However, while the figure for Nigeria may appear alarming, it reflects a sharp decline in breach activity compared to previous quarters.
Nigeria has been placed at 34th worldwide in terms of the number of breached accounts. Globally, the most affected countries were the United States with 16.9 million leaked accounts, followed by Russia (4.4 million), India (4.2 million), Germany (3.9 million), and Spain (2.4 million).
Luís Costa, research lead at Surfshark, said, “Although the number of vulnerable accounts in all major regions decreased, people should remain vigilant.
“Cyber Threats are constantly evolving, and attackers are adapting their tactics. Strong security practices, frequent password updates, and enabling two-factor authentication remain essential.”
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Since 2004, approximately 23.2 million Nigerian user accounts have been compromised, the report stated. The report noted that, “7.3 million unique email addresses were exposed. 13 million passwords were leaked alongside the accounts.
“56 percent of users whose accounts were compromised are at risk of identity theft, extortion, or unauthorised account access.”
