Digital economy needs an agile approach to cybersecurity

Issue 3 2025 Information Security, News & Events

As South Africa’s digital economy matures, cybercriminals are taking notice and targeting businesses across the country, with major financial consequences. Earlier this year, South African Airways (SAA) faced a significant cyber incident that disrupted access to its online platforms. In 2024, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) was hit by a ransomware attack, which resulted in the loss of 1,2 terabytes of data. These are not isolated incidents, they represent a growing pattern of attacks against businesses that are unprepared when it comes to modern cybersecurity challenges.

“Cybersecurity frameworks offer a blueprint for digital safety and data regulation compliance, but as these develop and proliferate in response to emerging cyberthreats, choosing the right one is increasingly difficult. Particularly in high-risk sectors like fintech, retail, and healthcare, understanding specific requirements must be a top priority,” says Anscombe.


Tony Anscombe.

In 2020, South Africa implemented the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), a legal framework aimed at protecting individuals’ rights to privacy. While these regulations establish what must be protected, cybersecurity frameworks offer a detailed roadmap for achieving compliance.

“Organisations that view cybersecurity frameworks as enablers of trust and innovation, not merely regulatory hurdles to overcome, will likely see more success. With strategic implementation, these frameworks provide the foundation for secure, sustainable digital transformation across the continent – provided they are interpreted and implemented in a way that makes sense for each business,” says Anscombe.

Cybersecurity frameworks

These frameworks generally fall into two categories: mandatory compliance frameworks that organisations must follow to comply with laws or industry regulations, and voluntary frameworks designed to improve their overall security posture. Many businesses struggle to determine which cybersecurity frameworks best address their specific needs, while satisfying regulatory requirements.

“For regulatory frameworks, there is no decision, they are a requirement that must be followed, with significant financial penalties for non-compliance. However, businesses still have important choices to make around voluntary frameworks. Business objectives, risk approach, available resources, and vendor support all influence which framework will be most beneficial,” says Anscombe.

The consequences of inadequate security measures extend beyond immediate financial losses, making compliance failure an urgent business concern across all industries. “Thanks to the disaster management protocol it already had in place, SAA was able to respond to the breach and get back online relatively quickly. However, in the case of the NHLS, the ransomware attack put sensitive medical data of millions of patients at risk and disrupted systems in the middle of dealing with an mpox outbreak,” says Anscombe.

The goal is not perfect compliance with every aspect of a framework, but rather effective protection that enables business growth. “If you take the approach of merely ticking boxes for minimum requirements, you may end up compliant, but not adequately protected. If you stick too strictly to all requirements, your team might become overwhelmed. Careful consideration of what is right for your business and industry, supported by an effective cybersecurity provider, is the best way to ensure protection,” says Anscombe.

For more information go to www.eset.com/za.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
Continuous security optimisation.
News & Events Information Security
Cymulate has announced its partnership with SentinelOne, a threat exposure validation and AI-powered cybersecurity platform. The collaboration delivers self-healing endpoint security that empowers businesses to increase protection for every endpoint on their network.

Read more...
Protect your smart home devices
Kaspersky IoT & Automation Information Security Smart Home Automation
Voice assistants, kitchen robots, smart lights and many other intelligent devices have become part of our everyday life. However, with the rise of smart technology comes the need for robust protection against potential vulnerabilities.

Read more...
ISPA’s take-down process protects from local scams
News & Events Information Security
During the recent school holidays, parents could rest a little easier knowing that ISPA, SA’s official internet industry representative body, is removing an average of three to four problematic websites from the local internet every week.

Read more...
NEC XON disrupts sophisticated cyberattack
Information Security
NEC XON recently showcased its advanced cyberthreat detection and response capabilities by successfully thwarting a human-operated ransomware attack targeting a major service provider.

Read more...
What’s your cyber game plan?
Information Security
“Medium-sized businesses are often the easiest target for cyber criminals, because they are just digital enough to be vulnerable, but not mature enough to be fully protected," says Warren Bonheim, MD of Zinia.

Read more...
Upgrade your PCs to improve security
Information Security Infrastructure
Truly secure technology today must be designed to detect and address unusual activity as it happens, wherever it happens, right down to the BIOS and silicon levels.

Read more...
The power of PKI and private sector innovation
Access Control & Identity Management News & Events Government and Parastatal (Industry)
At the recent ID4Africa 2025 Summit in Addis Ababa, the spotlight was firmly on building secure, inclusive, and scalable digital identity ecosystems for the African continent.

Read more...
Open source code can also be open risk
Information Security Infrastructure
Software development has changed significantly over the years, and today, open-source code increasingly forms the foundation of modern applications, with surveys indicating that 60 – 90% of the average application's code base consists of open-source components.

Read more...
DeepSneak deception
Information Security News & Events
Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.