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African trust centre launches cyber division

Advancing cybersecurity to more stringent heights, LAWtrust has launched a new division focusing on cybersecurity services to complement its identity, encryption and digital signature offerings to more comprehensively support customers in the ongoing battle for improved digital security.

“LAWtrust has traditionally been focused on defensive technologies. The additional focus on ‘Secure Availability’ moves away from the defensive approach to a proactive stance by assisting clients to determine whether their digital environment is safe or not. Employing the latest in testing tools, cyber-analytics and experienced security analysts, LAWtrust can conduct vulnerability assessments, guide the customer in prioritising the vulnerabilities and assist in remediation,” says LAWtrust’s chief solutions officer, Maeson Maherry.

Maeson Maherry.

According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), South Africa has the third-highest number of cybercrime victims worldwide, losing about R2,2 billion a year to cyberattacks.

“Most of the cybersecurity companies in South Africa only service information systems (IT) and not operational systems (OT). Operational systems need to be secured as well, especially in sectors such as industrial or manufacturing sectors, mining and engineering sectors. This speaks to the trend of Industry 4.0 and IoT and continuing automation of all industries. There is a huge shortage of digital security skills in South Africa, leaving the country vulnerable,” says Maherry.

Malware attacks in South Africa increased by 22% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018, according to Kaspersky. While a report from cybersecurity firm Norton says globally, 978 million consumers were affected by cybercrimes in 2017, stealing a total of $172 billion.

“A cybersecurity assessment usually includes vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, architecture reviews and gap analysis against business/compliance requirements which will help the consultant with a comprehensive view. The LAWtrust approach is to focus on the aspects of remediation and information security solutions, that can provide the fastest, and the greatest, advantage to a business in a disruptive but governed environment,” concludes Maherry.

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