Tag: cybersecurity

International Data Privacy Day on 28 January usually brings a wave of advice about passwords and privacy settings. Most of us tune it out. Instead, we fall back on a comfortable but dangerous cop-out. We say, “I am boring. I have nothing to hide”. This reflex often defines how people approach Data Privacy Day each year. This apathy creates our greatest vulnerability.

2025 was not just another year of tech headlines. Instead, it marked a year of digital surge that reshaped everyday life in South Africa. Families streamed their favourite shows without buffering. Students joined online classes from rural towns. Small businesses found new customers through WhatsApp and TikTok. Fibre rolled across suburbs faster than gossip at a family braai.

Higher education institutions face cybersecurity challenges that differ from those in many other sectors. These challenges shape how universities approach tackling cyber threats in complex environments. The major risks facing South African universities include ransomware, phishing, data breaches and insider threats. Institutions also depend heavily on third parties and face a significant cybersecurity skills gap.

The holiday period is synonymous with travel, online transactions and a surge in digital activity. From securing last-minute flights and booking accommodation to buying gifts and managing digital payments, we rely on the convenience of the online world. However, this high-activity environment remains fertile ground for scams and fraud.

South African businesses are investing heavily in cybersecurity. They patch systems, encrypt data and monitor endpoints. Yet many still overlook one of the most dangerous weaknesses in their digital operations: business logic vulnerabilities, which continue to expose critical blind spots. These threats are not typical coding errors or configuration flaws that security tools detect.

Black Friday has become a make-or-break moment in retail. With online sales climbing by over 30% during the four-day window from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, when there are already over 1 billion e-commerce transactions annually in SA, this single weekend represents the biggest revenue spike of the year for most retailers.

Our recent research conducted in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, titled “Cybersecurity in the workplace: Employee knowledge and behaviour”, reveals key insights about AI use in South Africa. The study found that 72.5% of professionals surveyed in the country use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for their work tasks. However, only 30% have received training on the cybersecurity aspects of neural networks.

In the B2B technology sector, the old Public Relations (PR) playbook has become obsolete. The days of measuring success by the sheer volume of media mentions are long gone. Today, an effective modern tech PR strategy is not just about getting your name into a headline. It is about strategically building undeniable brand authority until you become the headline. This marks the difference between pushing and being pulled.

Deepfakes are no longer science fiction. They are a real and growing business risk. We have released our latest white paper, The Surge of Deepfake Cyber Threats. The report uncovers how AI-driven digital impersonations defraud companies, spread disinformation, and compromise brand trust.

Cybercriminals don’t just target systems. They target people. Nearly 70% of cyber incidents stem from preventable human mistakes. This makes an untrained workforce the weakest link in any organisation. Enter gamified learning. This approach to cybersecurity training replaces routine compliance checklists with story-driven challenges based on real-life scenarios.