Tag: cybersecurity

The future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption lies in disciplined execution, governance and responsible implementation rather than unchecked experimentation. As enterprises accelerate the adoption of AI and agentic systems, conversations around data protection are becoming more urgent. However, organisations should avoid treating AI as an entirely new governance problem.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) discussions in South African boards generally default to carbon, community impact and governance process. While those remain essential, they do not tell the full story of organisational sustainability. A business may define sustainability narrowly. However, it still fails if it cannot protect data and recover quickly from cyber disruption in a digital economy.

The fines scam. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) refund. The parcel that needs clearing. If you have a South African cellphone number, you have likely encountered all three. Fraud has become part of the background noise of digital life. Consequently, most people have developed a reflexive response: delete, ignore and move on. However, a more difficult question now confronts banks, fintechs and payment platforms.

We have released a new report outlining ransomware trends that shaped 2025. The report also provides insights into how the ransomware threat landscape may evolve. According to our Security Network, Latin America recorded the highest share of organisations affected by ransomware attacks at 8.13%. The Asia-Pacific region followed at 7.89%, while Africa stood at 7.62%. In addition, the Middle East recorded 7.27%, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reached 5.91%, and Europe reported 3.82%.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is no longer just an IT choice. It has become the operating system of business itself. From Salesforce to Workday, Microsoft 365 to Slack, the SaaS layer now underpins collaboration, analytics and decision-making. However, while businesses enjoy the convenience, scalability and cost efficiency that these platforms provide, many overlook the hidden web of interconnected risks beneath them.

Facebook cloning scams are continuing to rise. They are turning ordinary profiles and family photos into tools for fraud and social engineering. Have you ever wondered what criminals can do with a convincing copy of your life? If not, you should. Criminals can easily step inside your Facebook world and create a cloned profile using your family, friends, adventures and experiences.

Digital trust is the invisible contract that lets people, businesses, and governments rely on digital systems for critical interactions. Without it, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) - the shared digital rails for payments, identity and data exchange - cannot scale or deliver the economic and social value it promises.

At the start of 2024, a finance worker in Hong Kong at a multinational firm joined what appeared to be a routine video call with senior leadership. The call included people who looked and sounded like the company’s UK-based CFO and other executives. However, AI-generated deepfakes had created these individuals. As a result, the employee authorised several transfers to different bank accounts worth around $25 million.

Most mid-market businesses in South Africa have technology budgets that look reasonable on paper. They allocate spending to infrastructure. They refresh devices on schedule. More so, they account for software licences and they implement some form of security. As a result, nothing appears obviously broken. However, this is often where technology budget misalignment begins.

South African organisations are moving quickly from Artificial Intelligence (AI) experimentation to deployment. The latest South African Generative AI Roadmap 2025 highlights this shift. It found that 67% of respondents reported current GenAI adoption. This figure is up from 45% in 2024. Therefore, organisations are moving from planning to active use.