Being a world leader is not always something to be proud of

November 2012 News & Events

One of the benefits of working for a security publication is that you get to speak to a variety of people with different stories. Since the release of the South African Cyber Threat Barometer for 2012/13, which is referenced later in this magazine, the whole saga of cybercrime has become top of mind for many people. You can find the report at www.securitysa.com/*cyberthreat-za.

While South Africans always seem to feel they need to promote the country and show how First World SA is, there is one area in which we are among the leaders. Unfortunately, this area is crime. And while only one-third of the country is online and we are fast losing our African leadership in this area to surging countries like Nigeria, we are still tops when it comes to cybercrime.

Cyber Threat Barometer shows that over R2,5 billion was lost to cybercrime between January 2011 to August 2012, with over R600 million unrecovered. The latest Norton Cybercrime Report (there is a fascinating slideshow at www.Securitysa.com/*norton2012), puts SA third in the highest number of cybercrime victims in the world. Only Russia and China beat us.

The reason for this is simple ignorance. Most people do not follow basic security practices because they are inconvenient. Add social networking to this and crime syndicates have a field day collecting personal information.

Many would argue that it does not matter if a syndicate gets their personal information since they do not have access to company bank accounts and they do not have any money in their own account. But just ask someone who has been a victim of identity theft if it was a big deal to suddenly find you own a new car you have never seen and the bank demands you pay for it; or to find you have stood surety for someone’s loan from a microlender.

Scarier still are the number of people using public WiFi services that are, by definition, unsecure. The Norton report shows that 24% of these users access their bank account and 31% shop online.

Perhaps the reason for this really poor behaviour is because IT people like to keep information to themselves because the rest of us are too thick to understand it. So most people do not realise how easy it is to set up a snooping centre at your local coffee shop that offers public WiFi. Nor do we know how much data our phones and tablets broadcast about us. Perhaps our feature on information security in January can dispel a myth or two.

And if you think your new e-passport is all safe and secure, have a look at this link (www.Securitysa.com/*epassport-woes).

By the way, all the links above are shortened links that redirect you to the original web pages. Scammers love using redirects, but you can trust me....

Andrew Seldon – Editor



Credit(s)




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...
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...
Bosch Security renamed Keenfinity
News & Events
Globally renowned brands for video systems, access control and intrusion alarm systems, as well as communication systems, unite under the roof of the new company Keenfinity Group.

Read more...
2025 video surveillance market set for improved fortunes
News & Events Surveillance
Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition, forecasting a healthy growth rate of 8,1% until 2029, excluding China.

Read more...
Wialon announces integration with fleet maintenance and optimisation platform
News & Events Transport (Industry) Logistics (Industry)
Fleet management software platform integrates with a fleet maintenance and optimisation platform to support mutual customers for better workflows and deeper insights into fleet operations.

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...
Almost 50% of companies choose to pay the ransom
News & Events Information Security
This year’s Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report found that nearly 50% of companies paid the ransom to get their data back, the second-highest rate of ransom payment for ransom demands in six years.

Read more...
Value and industry insight
Securex South Africa Training & Education News & Events
Securex South Africa 2025, co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo, drew thousands of security professionals from across the continent and beyond, offering a platform for networking, product discovery, and knowledge sharing.

Read more...
Gallagher Security achieves ISO 27001 recertification
News & Events Training & Education
Gallagher Security has successfully achieved certification to the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This accomplishment builds on previous certifications and reflects a continued commitment to the highest standards of information security.

Read more...
Survey highlights cost of cyberdamage to industrial companies
Kaspersky Information Security News & Events
The majority of industrial organisations estimate their financial losses caused by cyberattacks to be over $1 million, while almost one in four report losses exceeding $5 million, and for some, it surpasses $10 million.

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.