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HOWEVER , AS THE SOPHISTICATION OF ATTACKS DESIGNED TO EXPLOIT THE HUMAN FACTOR INCREASES , THE CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT OF A STRONG SECURITY CULTURE IS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR ENDURING DIGITAL DEFENCE AND OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY .
In our current digital era , common and constantly updated tactics of social engineering such as phishing , vishing , spear phishing and smishing continue to be the most popular and effective tactics used by cybercriminals to gain access to systems and initiate their attacks .
There is a critical need to strengthen the human aspect of cybersecurity within organisations through comprehensive security awareness training . It is an undeniable fact that employees , the last line of defence , can inadvertently become the weakest link in the security chain .
“ Through proper training initiatives , this cost-effective and straightforward approach can effectively counteract social engineering tactics ,” said Stu Sjouwerman , CEO , KnowBe4 . “ However , as the sophistication of attacks designed to exploit the human factor increases , the continuous reinforcement of a strong security culture is an indispensable tool for enduring digital defence and operational continuity .” the course of the last three years about South Africa ’ s preparedness to deal with emerging threats as well as existing cyberattacks , particularly around cyber extortion and ransomware . In these surveys , the public sector , as well as construction and education sectors , have consistently scored very low in both general cybersecurity culture and cyberresilience when compared to our financial and banking sectors . This is concerning , as threats to South Africa ’ s critical infrastructure can have a detrimental impact on our economy and our society at large .
“ As we have already experienced by the multiple attacks against South Africa ’ s Department of Justice , with the most recent one in October 2023 that impacted payouts to those that need it most . Other examples include poor security at South Africa ’ s Postbank that resulted in R150 million being siphoned off , as well as the
Some of the biggest challenges are the lack of priority by governments , a relatively low level of general cyberawareness as well as a lack of IT and cybersecurity skills . 2023 has been a difficult year for Sub Saharan Africa ’ s economy . With growth slowing to 3.3 % from 4 % in 2022 , the region is faced with some of the most daunting challenges in the world such as limited resources , urgent humanitarian and development needs , energy crises , poverty and high youth unemployment rates . These challenges may explain a lesser focus on perceived non-business critical tasks such as cybersecurity culture .
However , this deprioritisation needs to change urgently if Africa wants to participate in the global digital economy . Cyber extortionists are looking for leverage . The more impact or damage they can cause and the more pressure can be applied on a victim ’ s organisation , the more ransom can be demanded and the more success they have in getting this ransom paid out .
Anna Collard , Evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa , said : “ We ’ ve conducted multiple surveys over
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