03/07/2012

IDG Connect Dan Swinhoe (Africa)- South Africa: Phishing, Fraud and Cyber-Policies

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Dan Swinhoe (Africa)- South Africa: Phishing, Fraud and Cyber-Policies

Posted b y Dan Swinhoe Company IDG Connect 07/02/2012

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What you're Saying Dan Swinhoe (South America)- Brazil: Still Holding Back On Giving their Mums iPads
Besides the prices for b oth, the device and the services, one of the b iggest prob lems is the lack of infrastructure. 3G services are availab le in few places,... Following on from our focus on IT security in East and West Africa, we turn our focus onto South Africa. Fighting to b ecome one of the b iggest emerging markets, it is struggling with various issues. Rural areas lack proper communications infrastructure, connection speeds are incredib ly low, and despite relatively low numb ers of internet users it ranks higher than it would like on cyb er-crime statistics. Stats While the numb er of viruses in the country are relatively high, the good news is that the figures are declining, alb eit slowly. The numb er of worms decreased in the last quarter of 2011 b y 0.9%, while trojans were also down. According to Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) there was malware detected on 8.1 of every 1 000 computers scanned in SA in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to the worldwide average of 7.1 for the same period. While still unacceptab ly high, it has b een declining steadily all year, so progress is b eing made. This report on SA security b y WolfPack provides some really useful insight into how b usinesses approach security.The good news is 93% of companies have tools to capture and report on risks, and around 60% expected a rise in their security b udget next year. However some worrying stats show almost a third of companies have no defined cyb er forensics process, and over half have prob lems with b udgets, enforcing policy and security, data leakage and lack of commitment from management. The most common incidents on the rise include online fraud with over 20% reporting an increase in the last twelve months, while second was device theft (also rated as decreasing the most). Pirates & Hackers While software piracy stands at around half the levels of its BRIC counterparts, around a third of all software is pirated, slightly ab ove the average for Europe and way ab ove the United States. Using pirated software always runs the risk of introducing viruses, and needs tackling if SA wants to improve its security standards. Although studies into piracy in emerging markets have indicated this may b e difficult. Despite the hacking of the ANC Youth Leagues web site last year, hacking in general hasn't quite reached the same levels as other countries (There's no Anonymous SA' for example), with an average of one or two major stories hitting the news each year. So far this year's b ig hacking story was a cyb er-b ank rob b ery on New Year's Day, where the thieves managed to steal $6.7m over 72 hours. While there are no concrete figures for the cost of Follow idgconnect on Twitter Glob al: Making sense of #mob ile madness http://t.co/3zq7w45a Asia: Is b usiness continuity b ecoming mission impossib le? http://t.co/9BEC2G9j Dan Swinhoe 06-27-2012
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Sergio

06-27-2012

Dan Swinhoe (Nigeria)-Nigeria: Out With Princes, In With Hackers?

Hi Ndifreke, Thanks for commenting, we always appreciate insight from the countries we cover. Thank you for for the clarification, I struggled to...

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IDG Connect Dan Swinhoe (Africa)- South Africa: Phishing, Fraud and Cyber-Policies
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all cyb er-crime in SA yet, estimates put it in the b illions of Rand. And although the numb er of Phishing attacks on the country are down b y 11% year on year, they still run into the millions. People & Policies Though this lack of attacks sounds like a good thing, it may b e a result of South Africa's low numb er of internet users, which makes up around 15% of the population (though growing quickly). There is also a skills shortage in the IT sector, which needs addressing. The World Economic Forum's Glob al IT Report said of SA: "Important shortcomings in terms of b asic skills availab ility in large segments of the population and the high costs of accessing the insufficiently developed ICT infrastructure result in poor rates of ICT usage," despite efforts on the from b usinesses to integrate IT into the workplace. Rural areas of the country are especially at risk, after one study found "a large portion of the South African population that has not had regular and sustained exposure to technology and b roadb and internet access [could] expose local communities to cyb er threats. " According to iC3 figures, SA ranks 7th in the world for cyb er-crime, and has hovered around the same position on the list for a good few years. These numb ers are surprisingly high for a country with relatively few internet users. Despite some of the prob lems, b ack in Pretoria the government is taking steps to improve security. Its new cyb ersecurity policy aims to create a more secure digital environment through awareness programs aimed at b oth the pub lic and b usinesses, b etter research and skills, and estab lishing a National Cyb er-Security Centre. In comparison to the other two spotlights on security, South Africa fares well. It has less troub le with hackers and b oth b usinesses and governments are taking steps to improve education and protection. But prob lems with viruses and fraud remain. Strong government intervention should address the latter, and as is addressing the skills shortage that the country faces should help with the former.

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