Cybersecurity Tips
Top 10 Cybersecurity Misperceptions
Between more sophisticated cybercriminals and immense pressure to ensure governance on compliance, 2021 is already shaping up to be a minefield. And as such, cybersecurity has risen to the top of most organisations’ agendas. With this in mind, research from Sophos shows the top 10 cybersecurity misperceptions: Misperception 1: We are not a target; we are too small and/or have no assets of value to an adversary. Many cyberattack victims assume they are too small, in a sector of no interest or lacking the kind of lucrative assets that would attract an adversary. The truth is, it doesn’t matter: if you have the processing power and a digital presence, you are a target. Misperception 2: We don’t need advanced security technologies installed everywhere. Some IT teams still believe ...
Unpacking Lessons from Ransomeware Attacks in 2021
It’s nearly impossible to read the news without seeing at least one headline blaring about a breach, hack or attack. In the USA, the Colonial Pipeline experienced a Darkside ransomware attack that affected more than 10, 000 gas stations. Virgin Active was hit by a hack in early May 2021 and took weeks to re-establish its systems. Vastaamo, a platform that provided therapy to thousands of patients, lost its data to hackers thanks to an unexpected security flaw. The hackers sent ransom demands to patients – pay up, or your personal information is public knowledge. As Stephen Osler, Co-Founder and Business Development Director at Nclose, points out, the criminal networks and masterminds behind digital attacks are doing their jobs and have every motivation to do these jobs extremely well. “The...
Beware of this New SMS Phishing Scheme Spreading Worldwide
A new, and viral, phishing scheme has seen fraudsters putting mobile users’ financial information at risk, according to Kaspersky. The cybersecurity company revealed that attackers, typically under the guise of a postal service, request a small sum of money for the shipping costs of a package. Once a user clicks on an SMS authentication code for the money transfer, the device is compromised thereby enabling increasingly larger amounts of money to be stolen. “Because it is not a complex phishing attack, it has already gained traction in other parts of the world with fraudsters able to pose as virtually any service provider from prepaid electricity to airtime, naming just a few examples,” says Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa. Phishing, regardless of the scheme u...
3 Tactics Hackers Use to Steal Passwords
Passwords, a basic yet essential part of cybersecurity, are the first line of defence against cyberattacks in our increasingly digital world. However, according to research from Check Point Software, many users are under the false impression that cybercriminals have no interest in their personal information or data on their computers. And it is for this reason that the robustness and strength of passwords are more important now than ever. With that in mind – thanks to Checkpoint – here are three of the tactics used to steal passwords along with the necessary steps to prevent any person from becoming a victim of cybercrime: 1. Phishing attacks This method has become one of the most widely used tactics for stealing passwords and usernames. It works in a simple way: by sending an email that a...
Here’s How Many Mobile Users in Kenya and Nigeria are Affected by Stalkerware
Stalkerware affects one out of every 100 mobile users in Kenya and Nigeria, according to Kaspersky Research. The same report reveals that similar malware impacts every four out of 100 South Africans. “Even though these numbers might seem low, especially when it comes to stalkerware, it bears mentioning that this form of attack is focused on specific individuals,” says Lehan van den Heever, Enterprise Cyber Security Advisor for Kaspersky in Africa. “So, unlike general malware that is distributed on a massive scale, stalkerware is a more personal crime that has life and death consequences for the individual affected, for example, a perpetrator can track down their estranged partner with ill intentions, or human trafficking rings targeting children.” Amongst other things, stalkerware can enab...
6 Ways to Protect Your Business from Ransomware
With an ever-growing number of people working from home, primarily due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity attacks are on the rise, meaning that dealing with security risks is an ongoing journey for enterprises. IDC predicts that by 2023, 60% of data will be generated at the edge by people working from home and from devices outside of the corporate firewall. While at the same time, many corporate cloud services are already being rendered from locations outside the data centre. This has given rise to ransomware attacks as many employees who are working remotely have their firewalls and access points configured to allow remote access. With that in mind, here are 6 things Kaspersky experts recommend to protect your company from ransomware: Always keep software updated on all t...
What is Cyber Doxxing and How to Protect Against It
Since the beginning of internet errors, a lot of personal details is revealed. Publishing personal data online may be very dangerous. The internet is a pool where you will find all sorts of people including hackers, cyberbullies, and other people with defamatory intentions. Such people collect and publish personal information with a bad intention. When this is done, it is known as Doxxing. Doxxing comes from the word “documents” with the act of documenting another person’s information. Criminals dig up personal details of an individual who wants to remain anonymous and expose them to the public. The main aim is to harass or shame the person. Although details like email addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers are available online, there are other details like pictures, financi...
5 Things to Do After a Ransomware Attack
In South Africa, 42% of ransomware victims pay the ransom to restore access to their data. Yet for 19% of those, paying the ransom did not guarantee the return of stolen data. However, as public awareness of potential cyber threats grows there is the reason for optimism in the fight against ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware which criminals use to extort money. It holds data to ransom using encryption or by locking users out of their device. According to a report from Kaspersky, whether they paid or not, only 24% of victims were able to restore all their encrypted or blocked files following an attack. 61% lost at least some files, 32% lost a significant amount, and 29% lost a small number of files. Meanwhile, 11% who did experience such an incident lost almost all their data. “Thi...
4 Tips to Protect Your Family Online
A recent survey revealed that 51.5% of South African children have been cyberbullied. “The reason for this is the increase in connected societies, more and more people are online, especially the youth,” says Simon Campbell-Young, co-founder and VP of global sales at Digimune. “There is clearly a lack of good cyber education and defensive tools. With this in mind, here are four tips to protect you and your family: 1. Remember that education is key This is the first awareness step. The vast majority of children have access to a wide variety of online devices — either shared or their own device — from a young age. By the age of 10, 30.5% of children have their own smartphone and 41.5% have access to a shared smartphone. It is thus imperative to take time to go about the internet – the good an...
5 Cybersecurity Tips for Startups
Sourced from International IDEA From 2020 being dubbed ‘the year of the side hustle’ to small businesses grappling to maintain continuity and profitability, despite these unprecedented times there has been a significant uprising in entrepreneurial activity the world over. Startups tend to be created by people who burn with an idea and want to put it into action as soon as possible. Money is usually tight, and expenses run high, what with product development, promotion, and all the rest of it. When managing priorities, emerging businesspeople often neglect matters related to information security. Many startups try to save on security, confident that a small company with limited resources holds no interest for cybercriminals. The truth is anyone can fall victim to cybercrime. Firstly, becaus...
How to Keep Hackers Out of Your Zoom Call
With the onset of the COVID-19 remote work exodus that has seen billions stuck at home, video conferencing apps have exploded in popularity. At the forefront is the service Zoom. However, with Zoom’s explosive popularity came a series of highly publicized security issues. To unpack this, ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted with Gabe Goldhirsh, VP MEA at digital risk protection company, ZeroFOX. Here’s what transpired: Why is Zoom, in particular, the target platform of choice for dedicated cyber attacks? And was it about Zoom that made it so popular to users in the first place? The rapid movement to remote work as a result of the pandemic caused a near-overnight acceleration and adoption of all collaboration tools – especially to Zoom (due to its platform ubiquity, ease, and no/low cost licen...
