Email security breaches are a prevalent threat in today’s digital age, with unauthorized access to email accounts leading to severe consequences such as data theft, financial loss, reputational damage, and legal implications. The root causes of breaches can vary from weak passwords to falling for phishing scams or unknowingly installing malware on devices.
A recent report by Surfshark, a private network firm, revealed alarming statistics about email breaches. Since 2004, a staggering 22.9 billion online accounts have been compromised, with approximately 8.3 billion tied to unique email addresses. This means that, on average, a single email address is compromised around three times globally.
In 2024 alone, there was a significant spike in email breaches, with over five billion accounts compromised, translating to nearly 180 breaches per second. The report highlighted that 790 million of the affected accounts were in Russia, followed by 310 million in the United States, 160 million in China, 110 million in Germany, and 100 million in France.
African countries also faced substantial online breaches, with South Sudan leading the pack with 92.8 million violations over the past two decades, ranking 24th globally. South Africa followed closely with 42.2 million breaches, ranking 38th internationally. Other affected countries included Egypt (25.9 million), Nigeria (23.1 million), Morocco (18.7 million), and Algeria (11.6 million).
The report emphasized that many individuals use the same email for multiple accounts, leading to repeated breaches of a single email address. This practice contributes to the high number of breached accounts globally. The report also revealed that, on average, 285 accounts are affected per 100 people, underscoring the escalating scale of cyberattacks and the heightened vulnerability of online accounts.
To provide a clearer picture of the impact of email breaches in Africa, the report listed the top countries with the highest recorded breaches. South Sudan, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and Algeria were among the nations facing significant breaches, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced email security measures to safeguard sensitive information and mitigate cyber threats.
