cybercrimes
Global Russian Hack Attack Targeted SA Energy Sector, US Claims
Sourced from International IDEA South Africa came out as one of 135 countries that the US claims Russian government employees targeted between 2012 and 2017 as part of two massive hack campaigns allegedly aimed at disrupting energy companies and critical infrastructure. According to Daily Maverick, the aim was to undertake a sophisticated campaign to target, compromise, and maintain continued access to the networks of critical infrastructure and energy companies worldwide. When asked if Eskom was targeted by Russia, the South African energy utility said that it, like many organisations, combats many cyber-attacks. Eskom, however, did not specify if it was targeted by Russian actors, specifically, or not. “We are aware that, daily, cybercriminals are actively targeting various sectors, incl...
Awareness and Training Are Key in Defending Your Company from Blended Cyber-Threats
Image sourced from Finance Times. While blended cybersecurity threats are not new, they are fairly sophisticated and multi-staged in nature, meaning that they are difficult to protect against and can pose a considerable threat to organisations’ IT environments. A blended threat typically uses and exploits multiple vulnerabilities in an attack chain, says Brian Pinnock, Senior Director of Sales Engineering (EMEA) at Mimecast, adding that the severity of a blended threat will depend on the specific vulnerabilities that are targeted. “For example, a threat actor or cybercriminal will launch a phishing campaign against an organisation by sending emails with infected links that redirect to malicious websites. When a user clicks on these links, they could download a piece of malware like a Troja...
Recent Increases in Cyberattacks Could Be Due to Leaked Cyber “Superweapons”
Sourced from Forbes Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, warns of a further increase in cyberattacks and thinks it could be partly down to major powers leaking, what they refer to as, ‘cyber superweapons’. “We have long warned that organisations of all sizes are being bombarded by a global fifth generation of cyber threats (Gen V). These are multi-vector cyber threats that can cause fatal damage and irreparable harm to the reputation of the compromised company,” said Pankaj Bhula, Regional Spokesperson at Check Point Software. “However, most companies are only secured against what we call third-generation threats (Gen III), which are threats that we’ve known about since the...
Is Cybersecurity as Necessary as Electricity?
Sourced from Travellers Cybersecurity has become as much a business necessity as having electricity says South African financial services and insurance company, Sanlam. Threat actors are constantly evolving and relentlessly hunting for vulnerabilities, cybercrime has become so profitable that exploitation is their business priority, and regulation is increasingly complex to navigate and manage. For Sanlam, cybersecurity has always been more than plugging holes and filling gaps, it’s a priority that has to be embedded within business foundations while managing cost, growth, customer experience, data analytics and regulatory controls. “Developing a comprehensive and holistic cybersecurity solution is a mandate for us, one that we must meet to ensure customer, stakeholder and industry trust. ...
IT Teams Facing Cyber Threats in 2020 – 5 Vital Insights
Image sourced from CIO. “Around the world, 2020 was an unprecedented year for IT teams,” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos. IT professionals played a vital role in helping organizations to keep going despite the restrictions and limitations necessitated by COVID-19. Among other things, they enabled education institutions to move learning online, retailers to switch to online transactions, healthcare organizations to deliver digital services and care under incredibly tough circumstances, and ensured public entities could continue to provide essential services. Much of this will have been done at high speed, with limited equipment and resources available and while facing a rising tide of cyberattacks against the network, endpoints and employees. To say things were...
