Tag: ransomware attack

As the country goes into a three-week lock-down to combat the national COVID-19 outbreak, businesses and employees across South Africa are putting the necessary measures in place to operate remotely.

Renowned French philosopher, Paul Virilio once said; “When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck.” How inevitable is this in technology today? Security professionals are having to work hard at putting in measures, best practices, mapping systems, lighthouses and beacons in order to reap the benefits of new innovations, all while managing potentially catastrophic risks.

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.

With data breaches hitting headlines daily, security professionals are constantly concerned about the next big threat. Whether it’s ransomware, phishing or endpoint attacks, there’s always something on the horizon waiting for its turn in the spotlight.

The recent ransomware attack suffered by the City of Johannesburg sounds a clarion call for boards to revisit their technology governance strategies and take a more holistic view of technology and the risk it poses.

From digital transformation through to the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), decision-makers are changing their views on how technology can benefit the organisation. But while much attention is placed on things like data analysis, the cloud, and automation, cyber security has fallen by the wayside.

In July, City Power was hit by ransomware resulting in customers unable to purchase prepaid electricity or access its website. This has again put the spotlight on cyber security and highlights how few organisations, irrespective of their size, are safe from an attack.