Security
How Cyberattacks Mirror the Rate of COVID-19 Infections
Sourced from Getty Images. The number of cyberattacks on frontline healthcare responders have surged at the same time as the global COVID-19 pandemic, trending upwards almost entirely in line with case numbers. By March 2020, phishing emails had spiked by over 600% since February, as cyber-criminals looked to capitalise on the fear and uncertainty generated by the virus. One-third of these attacks used impersonation of a known brand as a tactic to steal money and data or to deploy a virus or ransomware. When comparing the number of phishing attacks and COVID-19 infections globally between January and March of this year, the rate of growth in phishing attacks correlates almost perfectly with the rate of increase in infections. While these attacks have been seen mostly by healthcare institut...
Zamfara government moves against illegal miners
Zamfara state government has warned illegal miners operating in the state despite Federal Government’s ban on mining activities, to desist or face prosecution. Dr Nuruddwen Isah, the state’s Commissioner of Environment, issued the warning on Saturday when he visited one of the suspected illegal mining sites at Sauna village in Talata Mafara local government area of the state. Newsmen report that the government’s warning followed an allegation and complaint by the Director of one of the licensed mining companies, Shamsudeen Sani. Sani alleged that the sole administrator of Talata Mafara local government area had mobilised machinery and was allegedly escavating precious stone on his (Sani) site. The commissioner warned all miners to as a matter of public importance, desist from engaging in m...
It’s not just Technology that Secures an Organisation – it’s also People
The 2020 Security Culture Report collected data from more than 120,000 employees across 24 countries to find out exactly how deeply security was embedded in the company culture. Or not. South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, USA, UK, New Zealand, Norway and India were some of the countries included in the survey. The industries included Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Education, Transport, and Energy and Utilities. The overall security culture scores were measured across seven dimensions that included Attitudes, Behaviours, Cognition, Communication, Compliance, Norms and Responsibilities. These were then further analysed against country and industry sector to provide a holistic global security overview. The results? Not what you might expect. “Asia has the highest securi...
Spyware is Distributed Under the Guise of Android Apps
Sourced from Republic Title A new kind of Android spyware has been distributed by Transparent Tribe, a prolific APT group, under the guise of official COVID-19 applications – according to Kaspersky researchers. The threat actors have capitalised on the pandemic to extend their operations and infect mobile devices. Recent findings show that the group has been actively working on improving its toolset and expanding its reach to include threats to mobile devices. During the investigation, Kaspersky was able to find a new Android implant used by the threat actor to spy on mobile devices in attacks, which was distributed as fake national COVID-19 tracking apps. The connection between the group and the two applications was made thanks to the related domains that the actor used to host malic...
TECNO Smartphones Allegedly Carry Built-In Malware
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, TECNO has recently made its debut to the African market. At first, the devices feel surprisingly solid and competent in hand – despite their mainly plastic exterior. However, recent reports suggest that these smartphones are harbouring a secret malware that could consume users airtime and install harmful code. Anti-fraud firm Upstream claims that they have found “a malicious code dubbed Triada on 53,000 TECNO smartphones” that had already been sold in Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Egypt and Ghana. According to Gadgets Africa, TECNO‘s parent company Transsion told Buzzfeed [the malware] was installed in the supply chain without its knowledge. “The fact that the malware arrives pre-installed on handsets that are bought in their millions by typically low-i...
NETSCOUT Proves it’s Ready to Take on Threat Actors
Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited Africa Midway through June, American citizens thought the country was experiencing the world’s biggest-ever distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which seemed to be taking down internet service providers, social media platforms, and online services from gaming to banking. It very quickly turned out that no such attack was underway at all, as reported by Forbes, but the most interesting point was that so many citizens in the world’s most technology-enabled Western country believed the story so quickly. “A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of internet traffic,” explains Ris...
Why Organisations Need to Strengthen their Cyber Defences
At the start of 2020, very few people would have predicted the events that unfolded. The COVID-19 global pandemic caused unprecedented changes to all of our lives and has reshaped our entire working culture. From the accelerated pace of digital transformation and move to the cloud to the increased use of collaboration tools, cybercriminals looked to take advantage of these rapid and widespread changes for their own purposes. This week, Experian – a consumer credit reporting company, says it has experienced a breach of data which has exposed some personal information of as many as 24 million South Africans, and 793, 749 business entities, to a suspected fraudster. This is one of the many criminal cyber-attacks, exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to target organizations and individuals across ...
Mastercard Improves Online eCommerce Security Capabilities
As digital commerce continues to accelerate owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mastercard has announced that it will offer new security services to merchants in South Africa. The company says that it hopes this will further protect consumers and increase convenience when storing Mastercard cards in merchant databases. Dubbed Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES) for Merchants, the service uses a security measure known as tokenization to protect, speed up and simplify online and in-app Mastercard card purchases, as well as subscription-based and recurring payments like streaming music, video services, and utility bills. “Online shopping has gained significant traction in South Africa, and it is imperative for merchants of all sizes to ensure that they are offering a convenient, enjoyabl...
Experian was not ‘Hacked’, says CEO
Sourced from Republic Title Experian CEO Ferdie Pieterse says that the business and credit information services agency was “in no way, shape, or form” hacked. This comes after the company confirmed that the personal information of nearly 24 million South Africans was breached. Pieterse adds that none of their systems, databases or records was ever penetrated or hacked. Instead, the fraudsters used social engineering tricks to present themselves as a legitimate Experian client, this resulted in the “release of information which is provided in the ordinary course of business or which is publicly available” – potentially including First and last names, ID numbers, Telephone numbers, Physical addresses, and Email addresses. The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) says t...
South Africa Ranked as Most Targeted Country in Africa, Cybersecurity Research Shows
Sourced from IDG Connect Phishing is one of the oldest and most flexible types of social engineering attacks. It is used in many ways, and for different purposes, to lure unwary users to fake sites and trick them into entering personal information. The latter often includes financial credentials such as bank account passwords or payment card details, or login details for social media accounts. In the wrong hands, this opens doors to various malicious operations, such as money being stolen or corporate networks being compromised. This makes phishing a popular initial infection method. According to Kaspersky, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly more targeted. A number of new tricks have also been found – from HR dismissal emails to attacks disguised as delivery notifications. As a res...
24 Million South Africans at Risk After Experian Hack
South Africa has just been hit a major data breach that may have put the personal information of as many as 24 million South Africans at risk. This information could include First and last names, ID numbers, Telephone numbers, Physical addresses and Email addresses. Experian South Africa – business and credit information services agency – has confirmed that “an individual in South Africa, purporting to represent a legitimate client, fraudulently requested services from Experian”. This resulted in the “release of information which is provided in the ordinary course of business or which is publicly available.” The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) says that “Banks have been working with Experian and SABRIC to identify which of their customers may have been exposed to the...
Cross River task resort vendors on post-coronavirus guidelines
Cross River Tourism Bureau, has tasked vendors and service providers in the Marina Resort, Calabar on need to maintain high level Customer Service Standards in line with the post COVID-19 guidelines. The Managing Director of the Bureau, Mr Utsu Atsu, made the call during a one-day training workshop organised by the Bureau for vendors and services providers operating in the Resort in Calabar. Atsu, represented by Mr Emmanuel Ekpe, Manager, Standards and Licensing in the Bureau, said that since the pandemic has changed the dynamics at which the hospitality industry operates, the bureau saw the urgency to train the vendors on need to adapt to new service delivery trends. “We have the Marina Resort Service Policy Document on the upgraded customer service standards, it covers areas such as hygi...
