The speed of technological change is leaving gaping holes in highly sensitive company IT infrastructure. These vulnerabilities are being targeted by cybercriminals at an increasing rate as South Africa is starting to feel the heat from attackers across the globe according to” IT News Africa”.
It was revealed at the 2015 Security Summit, in Johannesburg, that South Africa has been the most attacked country on the African continent over the past six weeks.
Symantec’s Antonio Forzieri says that one in 214 emails sent in South Africa last year was a spear fishing attack. Don’t let the exotic naming fool you. These attacks can cause serious personal distress, financial loss and are achieved by the simple click of a malicious link in an email.
It is no wonder then, that cybercrime statistics recently posted by the South African Banking Risk Information Centre show that South Africans lose in excess of R2.2 billion to internet fraud and phishing attacks annually.
“It is going to get very complicated for the ordinary business to keep track of all the innovation to thwart cybercrime. So it is vital that basic security measure are in place and that online companies keep things as simple as possible. We have seen this among our small to medium-sized merchants. The more aware you are of the risks, the more secure your online assets will be. Vigilance is key.”
Professor Basie von Solms, director of the Centre for Cyber Security at the University of Johannesburg, says that small businesses are reported to be the largest growth area for cyber attacks, adding that 31% of all attacks are targeted at small businesses, as they are less prepared to handle cyber risks. A very good reason why you should use an IT Service Provider who is experienced and credible.
Arthur Goldstuck, managing director and founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za said there was no real quantification on how many companies were victims of cybercrime, but agreed there was an increase, although South Africa was not the worst country in the world.
“Very often we see companies being hacked because they have not taken enough precautions” he said.
Some industries and companies are tempted to relax and justify their slowness with statements such as “we are secure”, nothing has happened to us before” or “our firm is not important enough to be a target” or “security costs are greater than the potential damages”.
Unfortunately, many executives have learned the hard way that these statements simply aren’t true.
If you would like an assessment of the security of your IT system then you should CONTACT US
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