The case for cyber insurance
South Africa has not come through recent cyber-attacks unscathed. When cyber criminals breach a network, it's done with the malicious intent of gathering data: medical records, personal information, ID numbers and account details. The propensity and magnitude of...
Tips for selling to CISOs
Selling cyber security products and services is challenging at the best of times. Security, even though it is understood to be essential, tends to be a grudge purchase for most businesses. "Security is aimed at preventing a business from falling victim to a breach or...
BDO advises risk assessment
In a new white paper published today, BDO's global cybersecurity leadership group stresses the importance of businesses gaining an understanding of their unique risk profiles in order to ensure the right cyber insurance for their needs. Cyber insurance: managing the...
Hacking humans
The easiest way to hack into a network is by exploiting the one vulnerability most often left unpatched -- human nature, according to Michael Ferendinos, enterprise risk business unit head at Aon South Africa and Rudi Dicks, senior cyber consultant at BDO Forensics...
The risks of allowing smartphones at the bank …
Employees aren't just bringing their devices into work -- they're living on them. Checking one's phone is the first and last thing many do every day. With smartphones becoming constant companions, hackers are seeking every avenue available to break into them. The...
Ransomware sees global, local growth
Global ransomware attacks have increased by 11% over the past 12 months ending March 2017, according to Europol. Furthermore, a recent IBM Security and Ponemon Institute study found that the average cost of a data breach in South Africa is currently R32-million, a 12%...
SA prepares for data protection shake-up
With the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force next year, it is important for South African organisations to identify ways to best manage their data. Yet many companies are still worryingly under-prepared for what will be the most significant...
POPI adds a dimension to data protection
Whether one has totally embraced South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act or not – or truly understands the legal responsibilities it enforces upon businesses and organisations, there is no denying it has altered the scope of data protection,...
Security is everything in IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) is counted among emerging technologies that promise to transform the South African market. While the opportunity for IoT is young in South Africa, its potential influence is far-reaching, writes Reshaad Sha, CEO of SqwidNet. For example,...
SA’s risk managers are missing a trick …
South Africa's risk managers - in fact, risk managers worldwide - are missing a trick in the wake of recent ransomware attacks such as wannacry, Petya and NotPetya. The trick, as elegant as it is inexpensive to implement, is escrow; more specifically active software...
Data protection essential for insurers
With cyber security in the spotlight given recent attacks, insurers need to examine the integrity and safety of the data they have on hand. Kelly Preston, data analytics manager at SilverBridge, investigates the importance of data protection for an insurance company...
What about social media and security?
Social media has skyrocketed for businesses all over the world, with many companies using it as a way of strengthening their brands and reaching out to new and existing customers, says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa. It's clear that social media is...