ESET Nigeria has called on West African nations and organisations to strengthen their cyber defences following the discovery of a major cyberespionage campaign linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, which targeted European defence firms.

The hacking operation, tracked by ESET researchers under Operation DreamJob, infiltrated several European defence contractors including companies involved in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in an attempt to steal proprietary designs and manufacturing secrets to bolster North Korea’s growing drone programme.

According to ESET, the attackers relied on sophisticated social engineering and trojanised GitHub projects to breach networks. The primary malware, dubbed ScoringMathTea, functioned as a remote access Trojan, granting hackers complete control over compromised systems.

Between March and April 2025, the campaign targeted three firms in Europe: a metal engineering company in Southeastern Europe, an aircraft components manufacturer, and another defence contractor in Central Europe. At least two of these firms were directly involved in UAV design or production.

ESET Nigeria’s Managing Director, Olufemi Ake, warned that the growing digital interconnectivity and defence collaborations across West Africa make the region an increasingly attractive target for similar cyberattacks.

“It is an attractive region for cyberattacks,” Ake said. “With increasing digital connectivity, expansion of defence partnerships, and the emergence of West Africa as a tech innovation hub, individuals are now seen as potential entry points for both direct cyber threats and indirect access to global supply chains.”

He identified several high-risk sectors across the region, including government institutions managing citizen data, critical infrastructure such as power, telecommunications, and finance, as well as engineering, aerospace, and media industries.

To mitigate these risks, Ake stressed the importance of cybersecurity awareness, robust endpoint protection, and proactive threat detection systems.

“Cyber resilience begins with awareness,” he said. “Organisations must integrate cybersecurity training into employee onboarding, update systems regularly, and deploy advanced detection tools to stay ahead of evolving threats.”

Ake further urged West African governments to treat cybersecurity as a strategic national priority, calling for regional collaboration and sustained investment in cyber capacity-building.

“As countries across the region continue their digital transformation journeys, cyber resilience must be made a top priority,” he added. “Achieving this will require collaboration, awareness campaigns, and investment in cybersecurity infrastructure to protect economic growth and public trust in digital systems.”