Skip to content
Tiatra, LLCTiatra, LLC
Tiatra, LLC
Information Technology Solutions for Washington, DC Government Agencies
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • IT Engineering and Support
    • Software Development
    • Information Assurance and Testing
    • Project and Program Management
  • Clients & Partners
  • Careers
  • News
  • Contact
 
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • IT Engineering and Support
    • Software Development
    • Information Assurance and Testing
    • Project and Program Management
  • Clients & Partners
  • Careers
  • News
  • Contact

Examining Africa’s imperative to strengthen cyber defences

Cyber criminals are targeting African economies in similar ways to their European or North American counterparts. “The numbers show that everyone is getting hit equally hard,” said Charl van der Walt, head of security research at Orange Cyberdefense, speaking on the first morning of the Summit.

While the cyberattack numbers in Africa might be slightly lower than in other parts of the world, van der Walt believes this doesn’t necessarily mean cybercriminals are actively targeting larger economies more than smaller ones. “What we’re seeing is not the bad guys saying, ‘Let’s find American companies to hack.’ Rather, they seem to throw mud at a map and see where it sticks, suggesting the targeting is less deliberate and more opportunistic.”

Everyone is a target

What van der Walt did highlight, however, is that the landscape appears to be changing. With law enforcement in many of the most targeted countries increasingly cracking down on large cybercrime syndicates, these hackers are quickly looking for alternatives. “Similarly, the market for this kind of crime is shrinking as the number of criminal groups grows,” he says. “Again, this drives criminals to start hunting for opportunities elsewhere.” So with this in mind, it’s inevitable that hackers are coming for smaller economies, like those in Africa.  

Also speaking at the event, Jonas Bogoshi, CEO of ICT company BCX, noted that this trend is a big concern. According to him, 0% of appointments on large boards in South Africa have any cyber security experience, while only about 8% have some understanding of social networks and digital technologies. This is in contrast with large boards in Fortune 500 companies, where 8% have cybersecurity knowledge and 40% have digital tech expertise.

Everything is a target

As more companies embrace digital means to interact with their customers and use technology to transform business models, an increase in cyberattacks is expected, as well as an evolution in the methods and type of assets these cybercriminals are trying to steal. “When the physical world and the digital world come together, everything that we do online is under threat,” Bogoshi says, citing how a local radio station’s entire content library was accessed and encrypted in a ransomware attack.

Another phishing attack targeted the minutes of a large South African manufacturer’s board meeting due to the company’s substantial M&A activity. As hackers get smarter, they’re not only stealing data, they’re also analysing the information they steal to identify different pieces of value they can use to further extort victims. All too often, not knowing what your assets are, and thus, not putting the necessary processes and procedures in place to secure them, is opening us up to attacks, added Paul McKay, principal analyst at Forrester.

Cybercrime, Data and Information Security


Read More from This Article: Examining Africa’s imperative to strengthen cyber defences
Source: News

Category: NewsJune 13, 2022
Tags: art

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:Mattel innovation becomes toy maker’s e-commerce coreNextNext post:Modernizing Your Security Operations in the Next Phase of Covid

Related posts

Barb Wixom and MIT CISR on managing data like a product
May 30, 2025
Avery Dennison takes culture-first approach to AI transformation
May 30, 2025
The agentic AI assist Stanford University cancer care staff needed
May 30, 2025
Los desafíos de la era de la ‘IA en todas partes’, a fondo en Data & AI Summit 2025
May 30, 2025
“AI 비서가 팀 단위로 지원하는 효과”···퍼플렉시티, AI 프로젝트 10분 완성 도구 ‘랩스’ 출시
May 30, 2025
“ROI는 어디에?” AI 도입을 재고하게 만드는 실패 사례
May 30, 2025
Recent Posts
  • Barb Wixom and MIT CISR on managing data like a product
  • Avery Dennison takes culture-first approach to AI transformation
  • The agentic AI assist Stanford University cancer care staff needed
  • Los desafíos de la era de la ‘IA en todas partes’, a fondo en Data & AI Summit 2025
  • “AI 비서가 팀 단위로 지원하는 효과”···퍼플렉시티, AI 프로젝트 10분 완성 도구 ‘랩스’ 출시
Recent Comments
    Archives
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    Categories
    • News
    Meta
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Tiatra LLC.

    Tiatra, LLC, based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, proudly serves federal government agencies, organizations that work with the government and other commercial businesses and organizations. Tiatra specializes in a broad range of information technology (IT) development and management services incorporating solid engineering, attention to client needs, and meeting or exceeding any security parameters required. Our small yet innovative company is structured with a full complement of the necessary technical experts, working with hands-on management, to provide a high level of service and competitive pricing for your systems and engineering requirements.

    Find us on:

    FacebookTwitterLinkedin

    Submitclear

    Tiatra, LLC
    Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.