Image sourced from Feed Navigator. Ransomware attacks are on the rise and malicious cybercriminals are always fine-tuning their strategies. Business leaders need to realise that their tactics include disrupting critical business operations across all industry verticals and businesses of all sizes, including small to midsize enterprises (SMEs). With most of the recent headline-making ransomware attacks against larger organisations who are likely to be more financially capable of meeting exceeding large ransom demands, the findings around the targeting of smaller businesses with fewer resources raise the question as to why ransomware operators are going after SMEs in the first place. The frequency and severity of successful ransomware attacks have a tremendous impact on victim organisations ...
Stefan van de Giessen, General Manager: Cybersecurity at Networks Unlimited Africa Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are widely acknowledged as playing a critical role in South Africa’s economy, and yet they are also potentially more at risk in terms of their ongoing survival than larger enterprises. According to a recent McKinsey report, SMEs in South Africa employ between 50 and 60% of the country’s workforce across all sectors. At the same time, SMEs arguably face a number of challenges, which can potentially weigh on them more heavily than on larger enterprises. These particular areas of concern include attracting customers; maintaining profitability; increasing revenue; facing greater uncertainty during economic down-turns, and securing financing for expansion. Now add in the issues a...