Security
Why PoPIA Compliance Remains a Challenge for Many SA Businesses
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) officially came into effect in July and many businesses are still facing compliance challenges in how personal information is stored and processed. According to Sameer Kumandan, MD of SearchWorks, South Africa’s largest innovative data aggregation platform, businesses should have already analysed their internal policies, processes, and procedures, and aligned them to the most applicable data privacy standards in the POPI Act. “It’s also crucial that organisations understand the role their business has as either a responsible party or a processor as well as ongoing training to ensure all areas of the business are POPI compliant.” The POPI Act’s purpose ensures that the right to privacy is taken seriously and includes a data subje...
Deal or No Deal? 7 Quick Tips to Safely Shop Online This Black Friday 2021
Image sourced from The South African. “Gucci bags 80% off!” screams the email that lands in your inbox on Black Friday. It seems like an impossibly large discount, but you open the email anyway – just to check if it seems legitimate. And it does – it’s professionally compiled, there are no spelling errors, and the logos and merchandise all look like the real deal. So, you click on the link provided. And you shop. Only to see a string of fraudulent charges on your next bank statement. Black Friday is a lucrative day not only for retailers, but also for cyber criminals. In 2019, the use of retail phishing URLs jumped by 275% the week before Black Friday. Here are 7 questions to ask yourself before going on an online spending spree this Black Friday? Is my security up to date? Though many peo...
Areas of Focus for Healthcare Organisations When Securing Digital Transformation
The healthcare industry has been forever changed by digital transformation. Innovation in the medical space has led to advances in new treatments as well as cost savings that do not negatively impact the quality of care. The added benefit: faster, better networks have allowed for the growth of telemedicine, bringing quality care to thousands who did not have access before. An unfortunate side effect has been that cybercriminals are targeting the healthcare sector now more than ever. As a result, cybersecurity is critical to the success of health systems, which are increasingly at risk as cyber criminals look to steal patient data or hold internal resources for ransom. The vulnerabilities that enable these attacks exist in any vertical, but in the case of healthcare, they can be life-threat...
Beware These Fake Digital Vaccine Passports Being Sold Online in SA
Image sourced from Media24. Nearly two years into the battle against COVID-19 over 3 billion people around the globe and over 15 million in South Africa are now fully vaccinated. “As governments continue their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and encourage vaccination, the scene has been set for phishing scams targeting those who are unwilling to get vaccinated, but who still want the benefits available to those who have been vaccinated”, says Doros Hadjizenonos, Regional Sales Manager at Fortinet. Vaccination cards and passes are increasingly being required to give people access to travel, events and even to their workplaces globally. South Africa, in the early stages of rolling out a vaccine passport, is considering making the digital certificate mandatory for access to venues and ...
6 Ways CFOs Can Stay Ahead of Hackers
Global losses from payment fraud have tripled from $9.84 billion in 2011 to $32.39 billion in 2020, according to Deutsche Bank’s 2021 report on the future of payments. And financial professionals are saying COVID-19 hasn’t helped matters, with 65% believing that the global pandemic is to blame for some of the accelerated rate in fraud activity, revealed by a 2021 survey by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP). While these cybercriminals can target many areas of an organisation, the dangers are ultimately measured in financial terms. This means that Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) can no longer ignore cyber security simply because it is a complex issue outside their area of expertise. As custodians of the company’s monetary assets and financial data, CFOs are responsible for sa...
Kenya Has Had to Deal with Nearly 33-Million Cyber Attacks in the First Half of 2021
The increase in cyberthreats recorded by internet security group Kaspersky in the first half of this year in Kenya amounted to 32.8 million. Compared to similarly prominently targeted countries in the African region the recorded number was on par with South Africa accounting for 31.5 million, and near double the number recorded in Nigeria at 16.7 million. Overall, a combined 81 million attacks were recorded in these three countries, which is indicative of how significant the danger has become to organisations and users in the connected world. “Threats can be categorised as criminal (80% of attacks), targeted (19.9%), and advanced (0.01%). The advanced grouping is significantly more sophisticated and feature increased investment from attack groups. Unfortunately, both criminal and targeted ...
Forbes Cloud 100 Leader Rubrik Protects Your Data from Ransomware Attacks with Zero Trust Approach
Sourced from Kaspersky With data being increasingly valuable to a company’s organisations, ransomware attacks are surging around the world, including in South Africa. It is becoming incredibly lucrative for attackers to target businesses for their data, and at the same time, the ransomware being used is becoming more sophisticated. This means that more enterprises will feel the need to pay the ransom in the case of a breach. So says Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited, which distributes Rubrik solutions throughout Africa. “It is unfortunate,” she explains, “that in the event of a breach, paying the ransom is no guarantee that the threat actors will actually honour the agreement and release the data. This potentially leaves a breached organisation in the une...
31.5 Million Cyberthreats Targeted SA Users in the First Half of 2021
Image sourced from Feed Navigator. The increase in cyberthreats recorded by global internet security firm Kaspersky in the first half of this year across South Africa amounted to 31.5 million. “Threats can be categorised as criminal (80% of attacks), targeted (19.9%), and advanced (0.01%). The advanced grouping is significantly more sophisticated and feature increased investment from attack groups. Unfortunately, both criminal and targeted threat vectors learn from the advanced category to enhance their own attack techniques,” says Amin Hasbini, Head of Research Centre, Global Research & Analysis Team, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Kaspersky. Attacks Are Becoming More Sophisticated Hasbini says that the current trends show that attackers around the world are embracing more sophisti...
The Most Vulnerable IoT Devices: Think Before You Buy This Black Friday
With the shopping season approaching, it’s likely that internet-connected gadgets and toys will be a popular item on many users’ wish lists, as more than 88% of people use IoT (Internet of Things) devices in their households. However, cybersecurity experts warn: Internet of Things devices can quickly go from fun to creepy, depending on how hackable they are. “Enormous Black Friday discounts can rush customers into buying some very questionable gadgets. However, Internet of Things devices is widely known among experts for low-security measures they usually have installed. There is a joke going around: ‘The S in IoT stands for security’. So, it’s best to think before bringing any new IoT device to your household, as it can easily compromise the whole network,” says digital security expert at...
NETSCOUT: The Long Tail of Adversary Innovation
Image sourced from Shutterstock. NETSCOUT’s ATLAS Security Engineering and Response Team (ASERT) observed a record-setting 5.4 million attacks in the first half of 2021, further confirmation that their “up and to the right” mantra would continue to hold true. As the findings from the 1H 2021 NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report show, the ongoing surge in DDoS activity is just one aspect of the dramatic global impact cyberattacks continue to have on private and public entities. “Cybercriminals are making front-page news launching an unprecedented number of DDoS attacks to take advantage of the pandemic’s remote work shift by undermining vital components of the connectivity supply chain,” stated Richard Hummel, threat intelligence lead, NETSCOUT. “Ransomware gangs added triple-extortion ...
Protect Yourself: Top 10 Most Common Phishing Email Subject Lines
KnowBe4, the provider of one of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, has announced the results of its Q3 top-clicked phishing report. “Social engineering attacks continue to be one of the top ways malicious hackers breach organizations and/or cause damage,” said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. “We are seeing a continued increase in phishing, including more use of common HR types of communications and less reliance on obvious social media phishing campaigns. By equipping security professionals with more data on likely tactics and templates used by cybercriminals executing phishing attacks, infosec professionals can strengthen their human firewall. Now more than ever, end-users need to remain vigilant and remember to stop and think before they click....
Fight Back Against the Rise of Ransomware in SA with EDR Solutions
When cyberattacks are on the rise, as they certainly have been in South Africa this year, an organisation cannot afford to have its cybersecurity operating in a reactive manner. And yet, far too many businesses operate in this manner, making them prime targets for a breach. This is according to Milad Aslaner, Senior Director, Cyber Defense Strategy at SentinelOne, which helps organisations to prevent, detect, respond to and remediate end-point threats using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Its endpoint security products are distributed throughout Africa by Networks Unlimited. Aslaner explains: “Endpoints including laptop computers, tablets, and phones provide entry points to a wider network penetration that could harm the organisation, and which is one of the goals of ran...
