Artificial intelligence is involved in over 55% of reported cybercrime cases in Africa, according to INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. The rise of AI-driven attacks raises concerns as the continent's digital economy expands, with over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers anticipated by 2025.

The Gentlemen ransomware group has become the second most active gang by victim count, attracting skilled hackers with a recruitment strategy that offers affiliates 90 percent of ransoms. Security experts are investigating clues that may reveal the real identity of the group's administrator.

An Ohio man, James Strahler II, became the first person convicted under a new federal AI statute for cybercrimes involving real and AI-generated sexually explicit images. He pleaded guilty to charges including cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, and publishing digital forgeries, with the last charge related to the Take It Down Act.