Tag: phishing attack

The 2024 Cybersecurity Readiness Index reveals a decline in South African businesses’ preparedness for cyberattacks. According to the released index, just 5% of companies in South Africa have ranked at the "mature" level of readiness which is needed to be resilient against modern cybersecurity risks, down by 19% year-on-year.

Standardisation expert provides insight that could go a long way in driving efficacy as cybercriminals target South African organisations. South Africa has become a fertile hunting ground for international cybercriminals.

The use of spreadsheets in accounting and finance departments has vastly improved data analysis and enabled fast and accurate reporting, computing and information storage. Life without them is almost unthinkable. However, danger lurks within and although the use of macros in Excel to automate processes can enhance efficiency, macro malware can put your entire business at risk.

November marks the start of seasonal spending, with consumers looking for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. While this is an exciting time of year, it is equally critical for customers to be vigilant when shopping to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.

Cybersecurity education, through the use of anti-phishing training programs, is vital in a world where humans remain the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain. Cybersecurity is a term on every businessperson’s mind, as the legal, financial and reputational implications of a breach are massive.

While phishing scams are nothing new and have not changed drastically since their inception several years ago, we have seen some changes in terms of the techniques used, as well as the sophistication of content. From a tech perspective, the general technology used to pull off these social engineering attacks remains the same.

As the level of cyber threats rises every year, driving awareness around protection on Global Computer Security Day and beyond is crucial. The last 12 months saw the highest level of cyber incidents ever: a 40% surge in attacks worldwide, with the frequency in South Africa far above the global average.

Let us not doubt the fact that cybercriminals are looking to exploit the spread of Coronavirus to conduct cyberattacks and drive hacking campaigns.

Mimecast’s latest Email Security Risk Assessment (ESRA) report has found a 269% increase in Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks. Furthermore, the FBI recently indicated that worldwide losses from such attacks amounted to approximately $26 billion over the last three years.

Cybercrime attacks are accelerating in frequency and increasing in sophistication every year for one simple reason – they are highly lucrative when successful, so the payoff is worth the effort. In 2019 we saw a number of high-profile attacks in South Africa, which made headlines for the sheer disruptiveness they created.