Security
5 Steps to Protect Yourself and Employees from Android-Based Cyber Threats
Sourced from International IDEA While nearly 9 in 10 companies not only allow but actually rely on their employees to access critical business apps using their personal devices, according to a recent Fortinet Threat Landscape Report, Android-based malware now represents 14% of all cyber threats. In addition to direct attacks, the number of compromised web sites, email phishing campaigns, and malicious access points continue to grow exponentially, infecting unsuspecting users – regardless of their devices –with spyware, malware, compromised applications, and even ransomware. And whenever a personal device of any of your employees becomes compromised, they can represent an increased risk to your organisation as well. In addition to deploying mobile device management software a...
Web Skimming – A New Way to Steal Payments from Online Shoppers
Sourced from IOL. Researchers from cybersecurity and antivirus experts, Kaspersky, have uncovered a new technique for stealing users’ payment information on online shopping websites – a type of attack known as web skimming. Web skimming is a popular practice used by attackers to steal users’ credit card details from the payment pages of online stores, whereby attackers inject pieces of code into the source code of the website. This malicious code then collects the data inputted by visitors to the site (i.e. payment account logins or credit card numbers) and sends the harvested data to the address specified by attackers. Often, to conceal the fact that the webpage has been compromised, attackers register domains with names that resemble popular web analytics services, such as Google Analyti...
Google Chrome Users May Have Been Effected by a Spying Campaign, According to Report
Sourced from Forbes. Google Chrome extensions downloaded more than 32-million times were used to spy on the popular browser’s users in a massive global surveillance campaign, according to a new report. The report, published by cybersecurity firm Awake Security, found at least 111 “malicious or fake” Chrome extensions capable of taking screenshots, stealing login credentials and capturing passwords as users typed them. This spying campaign impacted a wide range of sectors across the web including financial services, healthcare and government organizations, the firm adds. Browser extensions, such as the ones for Chrome allow users to add a myriad of new features previously unavailable to them. Extensions such as Netflix Party and Suspicious Site Reporter are examples of popular extensions. A...
There are 577 Malware Attacks in South Africa Every Hour, Research Shows
Sourced from Republic Title The 2019 KnowBe4 African Report found that the continent is increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The report highlighted how vulnerable users were when it came to recognising cyber-threats and managing their risk profiles. In 2020, Accenture released a report entitled ‘Insight into the Cyberthreat Landscape in South Africa’ that revealed that there are around 577 malware attacks every hour, many of them are unsuccessful, however. Cybercrime has turned towards Africa and is putting its people and organisations at risk. “With cybercrime shifting its attention towards emerging economies and with Africa’s internet penetration about to double to one billion internet users by 2022, the African continent has become an attractive target for cybercrime,” says Anna Co...
5 Crucial Cybersecurity Principles for Businesses
The face of cybercrime has changed, alongside the strategies used. It’s no longer just the teen hacker in their bedroom, it’s a variety of different people with a broadening array of tactics. And what’s more, in the current climate of goodwill it is increasingly easy to get caught up in one of these traps. With this in mind, there’s no harm done in brushing up on five cybersecurity principles that can help you and your business mitigate the more common tricks and attacks used by cybercriminals: 1. Least Privilege Just because you trust everyone in your business doesn’t mean that your receptionist needs the same access levels as your CEO. Give users minimum necessary access and leave your most valuable data vulnerable to far fewer breach points. You wouldn’t give a hotel guest a key for eve...
Katsina urges villagers to expose fleeing bandits
Katsina has called on villagers and rural dwellers to expose fleeing bandits and their informants to quickly end the spate of banditry attacks in some parts of the state. The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Security Matters, Ahmad Katsina, told newsmen the ongoing bombardment of the forests by the joint security operatives has forced a few of the remnants of the bandits who escaped to seek refuge amongst villagers. He appealed to communities to be courageous enough in reporting such suspected movements to security agencies for prompt actions. According to him: “Fighting banditry should be a collective effort between the citizens and the security forces, the security forces without the collaboration of the citizens, would find it difficult, so the best approach is the collaborat...
3 Things Healthcare IT Teams can do to Improve Cybersecurity
Sourced from Getty Images. The healthcare industry has been forever changed by digital transformation. Innovation in the medical space has led to advances in new treatments as well as cost savings that do not negatively impact the quality of care. The added benefit: faster, better networks have allowed for the growth of telemedicine, bringing quality care to thousands who did not have access before. An unfortunate side effect has been that cybercriminals are targeting the healthcare sector now more than ever. As a result, cybersecurity is critical to the success of health systems, which are increasingly at risk as cybercriminals look to steal patient data or hold internal resources for ransom. The vulnerabilities that enable these attacks exist in any vertical, but in the case of healthcar...
Hybrid Cloud Environments Provide Cheap Security for Financial Service Organisations
Sourced from ZDNet. Worldwide, financial services organisations are turning to the cloud as the means to transform outdated legacy systems and commit to disruptive technologies. The size of the public cloud market is expected to top $354 billion by the end of 2022, a significant jump from the less than $197 billion of 2018. But instead of going the all-or-nothing route, the hybrid cloud is positioned to provide companies with a more secure way of leveraging their data. Yunus Scheepers, CTO at SilverBridge, discusses these security benefits at a time when Microsoft Azure data centres in the country are attracting attention from financial services organisations as a safer alternative to what their current on-premise offerings can provide. A hybrid cloud environment also provides risk-averse ...
Junaid Muhammad: President Buhari, governors lack political will to address security
File Photo The Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, has backed the Northern Elders Forum claims that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Northern Governors have lost control of security, saying whosoever it is saddled with the responsibility to secure the country is not in charge. This was as he said the government lacks the political will to deal decisively and flush out the bandits and terrorists to end the attacks and address the security challenges faced by the nation. Dr. Junaid who spoke in a telephone interview also claimed that the bandit’s identities were known but nothing has been done in that regard. In his words, “Whoever is supposed to be in charge of security of this country clearly is not in charge of security. And nobody seems to know who is in charge of security. ...
Inadequate Investment in Cybersecurity is Behind Increase in Cyber Attacks
Following on this week’s Life Healthcare cyberattack, the issue of cybersecurity has once again been brought to the fore as businesses and individuals are forced to evaluate whether measures in place are strong enough to withstand major breaches in their security. Life Healthcare is the third major South African company that has been targeted by hackers this year. In February, Nedbank warned that the information of about 1.7 million clients was potentially affected by a data breach, and the following month chemicals and fertiliser maker Omnia Holdings said it’s IT infrastructure was subject to a cyberattack. Amongst the other big businesses that have been targeted in South Africa are Johannesburg City Council, Capitec Bank and Telkom. The trend is also true for the rest of the continent. I...
COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: Managing the Pandemic While Maintaining Privacy
Image sourced from Oudtshoorn Courant The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll worldwide for both individuals and economies. As a precaution, many countries have implemented strict lockdown measures such as closing schools, restaurants and borders, while mask-wearing in public and social distancing have become a must. The enforcement of these policies, along with the extensive testing of populations has helped to minimize infection rates. However, when an individual is found to be infected with the coronavirus, the race is on to find those who have come into contact with them, as these people could be carriers or even be infected. This has led to hundreds of coronavirus contact-tracing mobile applications being developed worldwide and backed by various governments and national health au...
72% of People Can’t Check if Their Passwords have been Leaked
Sourced from International IDEA Passwords are the most common method of authentication, but they only work if they are hard to crack and confidential. And with an increasing number of applications requiring them, it can be hard to come up with new ideas for complex passwords and keep them all in your mind – especially when users may be required to change their passwords regularly. 87% of South African users are thinking up their own passwords, while 72% say they are unaware about how to check if any of their credentials have already been leaked – according to the latest Kaspersky report, ‘Defending digital privacy: Taking personal protection to the next level’. This highlights the need to store passwords securely and look out for possible instances when these credentials could be leaked. A...
