While authorities add new technologies and teams in their attempt to thwart cybercriminals, the stats are showing that in South Africa at least 50% of individuals polled have experienced some form of cybercrime; and the numbers continue to grow. The volume of internet users in South Africa is increasing and with this digital transformation threat actors are developing sophisticated ways for data breaches, identity theft, SIM pharm attacks and ransomware.
Professional organisations such as DaVinci Cybersecurity that specialise in conveying the latest up-to-date information on these threat actors, are a main contact in the road for protecting personal and company information.
Cybercriminals devote their time to developing sophisticated ways to infiltrate, attack and steal important information. Even when the authorities recognise and find one group, there seems to be more that are waiting on the sidelines. In 2020 alone there was a loss of $12 million in SIM swapping cases and this increased in 2021 to $68 million with 1,611 complaints. This particular activity has been on the rise in South Africa as criminals gain access to personal authentication and banking information.
In recent years, South Africa has implemented quite a few laws regarding cybercrime. Fraud is considered to be a common law offence. The definition includes the intentional deception of a person that results in potential or actual prejudice to the victim. The Preventing and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, Section 34 – fraud involves unlawful and intentional misrepresentation that causes or could cause harm to another party. It’s important to know this because when any fraud occurs online it’s referred to as “cyber fraud” and is included for coverage in the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020.
An explanation of the Cybercrimes Act: cyber fraud occurs when someone “unlawfully and with the intention to defraud makes a misrepresentation by means of data or a computer program.” The misrepresentation can occur in anything from social media to online apps.
South Africa is particularly vulnerable as the increase in dependence happens on mobile phone use for a variety of daily tasks. People go about their lives using their phones, not paying attention to what appears as an innocent email, text message or phone call. Threat actors depend on the average person to be unaware of what they are doing and it’s up to everyone to try to be educated as a way to protect yourselves.
How South Africans Can Protect Themselves:
Keep your personal data to yourself. Don’t fall prey to anyone or any company that needs your personal information
Add multi-factor authentication to your accounts. Just using a password is no longer good enough to protect yourself from cyber thieves. MFA enables you to have a second layer of protection in the case your password is stolen.
Third Protection layer of bio-factor authentication: Many companies encouraging that you add a third layer of protection such as fingerprint or facial recognition. Criminals would have a difficult time impersonating you to access your account.
The Importance of Passwords: Too many people use either an easy password or the same password on all of their accounts. Make your password difficult and use different passwords for different accounts. It might seem like a hassle, but it’s worth the extra effort.
Use caution in responses and protect your card info. Cybercriminals are experts at tricking you into revealing your card information, including a sense of urgency. Use caution, be suspicious.
“As a specialist in cybersecurity, DaVinci Cybersecurity continues to emphasise every action each person can take to protect themselves as well as conveying the latest ways that cybercriminals try to steal personal and company data.”
– Sharon Knowles, CEO DaVinci Cybersecurity
Source:
https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/top-cyber-threats-in-south-africa-282327a#
https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/5-ways-south-africans-can-outsmart-cybercriminals-060435a
