TCS+

Executives from data loss prevention specialists Next DLP believe generative artificial intelligence will have both positive and negative impacts on the IT security landscape.

In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod is joined by Next DLP’s chief security officer, Chris Denbigh-White, and Fallon Steyn, the company’s regional sales head, to unpack this topic in greater detail.

In the discussion, Denbigh-White and Steyn chat about:

• How generative AI is being used today, both by adversaries and by those defending organisations against those adversaries.

• The impact of generative AI as it becomes increasingly more difficult to discern between the output of humans and machines.

• The need for updated regulations and legislation in this field, including in South Africa.

• The risks to company data of using generative AI tools.

• How businesses internationally – and in South Africa – are using generative AI tools. What are they finding useful in them? How are chief information security officers thinking about handling these tools in the enterprise?

• The countries and industries that are leading the way in addressing security concerns around generative AI.

Don’t miss a fascinating and topical discussion, especially if you’re in the cybersecurity or data loss prevention field.

Nearly half of 800 African survey participants have fallen victim to an online scam at least once, losing thousands of dollars in the process and compromising their personal data. Alarmingly, more than half (53%) of the respondents who fell victim were convinced the offer was legitimate because the website looked real, while nearly 48% of the scams were financial.

This was revealed in a recent episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, featuring Anna Collard, senior vice president for content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. It is also worth mentioning that Collard was recently recognised as the Cyber Security Woman of the Year 2023 “People’s Choice” Award in Las Vegas.

Collard, who lives in Cape Town, is a certified business analyst with multiple security certifications, including CISSP, CISA, CIPP/IT, ex PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001 Implementer, and auditor. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Metaverse for the 2023-2024 term and a board member of the MiDO Cyber Academy Programme, aimed at underserved communities in South Africa to bridge the cyber skills divide.

The conversation with TechCentral’s TCS+ unpacked some alarming statistics, all of which can be found in KnowBe4’s 2023 Online Scams and Victims in Africa report. Only recently released, the report is based on a survey of 800 respondents across eight African countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Mauritius and Botswana.

Other key findings included that distraction and multitasking made 43% of the victims fall for an online scam, and that financial scams affected nearly 48% of respondents.

“These numbers highlight that online scams have evolved,” says Collard. “What is concerning is that 43% of the victims were distracted and multitasking when they fell for the scam, which highlights how easy it is for a person to make a mistake when they are not paying attention. Their emotional states can affect a person’s judgment, awareness and decision making, causing them to be more vulnerable to online deception,” says Collard.

Financial scams were the most common type of online fraud, affecting nearly half of the respondents (50%). Other prevalent scams involved fake investments (30%), cryptocurrencies and NFTs (29%), brand impersonation (28%), information theft (24%), online shopping (21%), and fake job offers (21%). Less frequent but still significant scams included the classic Nigerian scam (17%), family or friend impersonation (18%), law enforcement impersonation (7%), tax fraud (6%), holiday fraud (9%), romance fraud (13%), and lottery fraud (15%).

An e-mail was the preferred channel for scammers to initiate contact, accounting for 24% of the cases. Social media came in second with 19%, followed by WhatsApp with 10% and other messaging services like Telegram with 8%. In Nigeria, however, social media was the most used platform for scams (32%), while in South Africa, e-mail was the dominant method (28%).

The scammers often used social engineering techniques to convince their victims, such as creating rapport or trust by making websites look legitimate, sending messages that appealed to emotions, using social media profiles that seemed authentic, and avoiding spelling or grammar mistakes.

Collard says that the statistics reveal a more evolved and sophisticated network of scammers who use emerging technology to lure people into costly mistakes. Some 30% lost between US$100 and $1 000, 40% around $100, and 9% more than $1 000.

The report also showed that falling for a scam had a significant psychological impact on many victims. While 23% said it had little or no effect on them, nearly 50% felt a strong or moderate impact. The results highlight how easy it is for victims to blame themselves, when in reality, they were deceived by cunning scam tactics.

Read more at https://techcentral.co.za/.

Cryptography and encryption are pivotal in modern cybersecurity operations. Altron Systems Integration senior manager for cryptography Caryn Vos tells TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show about key reasons why this is the case.

Vos tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about why organisations need to get encryption right if they’re serious about protecting their data assets.

The conversation explores the evolving security threat landscape and why companies need to respond appropriately. Ransomware remains a primary risk to South African organisations – and organisations around the world – but other risks are also emerging, says Vos.

In this episode of TCS+, Vos unpacks how encryption can help in the fight against ransomware and other threats; how encryption protects data both at move and at rest; the impact of corporate espionage; the role of regulations and legislation such as the Protection of Personal Information Act and how encryption can help with regulatory compliance; and how encryption can be used to build trust with customers and other stakeholders.

Don’t miss a great discussion with an expert in the field.

It’s easy to keep layering security solutions on top of a company’s IT systems, but this can lead to complexity, high costs and other unnecessary headaches.

This is where security control validation can play a big role, according to information security specialists CYBER1 Solutions.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Duncan McLeod speaks to CYBER1 Solutions MD Jayson O’Reilly and the company’s GM for commercial sales and operations, Clarence Beukes, about why companies should seriously consider embarking on a security control validation project.

To kick things off, O’Reilly provides a quick refresher on CYBER1 Solutions – what it does, the segments of the market it targets, and its client profile.

Both O’Reilly and Beukes then unpack, at a high level, the big trends they are seeing in the security space in 2023, especially in the South African context.

The conversation turns to security control validation, which CYBER1 Solutions describes as being of “significant importance” in building organisational defences against cyberattacks.

O’Reilly provides an overview of security control validation and why companies should be taking it seriously. Among other things, it’s about allocating resources more effectively to focus on areas that provide a better return on investment in security spending. A successful validation project should help organisations enhance their cyber resilience, ensure regulatory compliance, and inform the adoption of security controls.

Beukes explains how validation achieves these outcomes, what’s involved in such a project, whether it’s a once-off exercise or an ongoing process, and how success is measured.

To conclude, the conversation turns to the future role of artificial intelligence technology in enhancing cybersecurity operations. Also, what threat does AI pose to organisations, and how might adversaries use it to their advantage?

Don’t miss a great discussion!

About CYBER1 Solutions

CYBER1 Solutions is a cybersecurity specialist operating in Southern Africa, East and West Africa, and Dubai, and elsewhere in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Our solutions deliver information security; IT risk management; fraud detection; governance and compliance; and a full range of managed services. We also provide bespoke security services across the spectrum, with a portfolio that ranges from the formulation of our customers’ security strategies to the daily operation of endpoint security solutions. To do this, we partner with world-leading security vendors to deliver cutting-edge technologies augmented by our wide range of professional services.

Our services allow organisations in every sector to prevent attacks by providing the visibility into vulnerabilities they need to rapidly detect compromises, respond to breaches and stop attacks before they become an issue.

For more information, visit www.c1-s.com.

Grant Phillips, group CEO of e4, recently joined Jaydev Chiba on TechCentral’s TCS+ to discuss the company’s inner workings, its future goals and its strategic outlook.

With expertise and extensive experience in the proptech and fintech spaces, e4 has positioned itself as an industry leader. Its longstanding client relationships and reputation for reliability and knowledge make e4 a trusted advisor across business sectors.

Leveraging emerging technologies to meet evolving market demands and deliver exceptional value to its clients, e4 not only provides world-class solutions, but most importantly plays a strategic role as a partner to its clients.

Close collaboration with clients allows e4 access to valuable insights into its client’s challenges and needs, enabling it to offer customised solutions that enhance internal processes and elevate customer experiences.

Looking towards the future, Phillips acknowledges the rapidly evolving nature of the industry and the need for continuous adaptation. e4 is committed to remaining relevant by actively pursuing research and development initiatives, and closely monitoring emerging technologies to drive innovation and meet clients’ evolving needs.

In conclusion, despite the challenges faced by the industry, particularly in recent times, Phillips expresses confidence in e4’s position and its ability to navigate turbulent times. The company’s supportive leadership team and disciplined execution approach allow it to adapt to market conditions and continue to deliver exceptional value to partners.

It’s hard to believe that Samsung Electronics is already five generations into the Galaxy Z series of foldable smartphones, with the Korean consumer electronics giant this week launching its Fold5 and Flip5 globally and in South Africa.

The devices show that Samsung has perfected the folding-screen technology – and its commanding market share of the fast-growing segment is testimony to this.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Justin Hume, vice president for mobile at Samsung Electronics in South Africa, unpacks why the Galaxy Z series is critically important to the company, and why it has directed significant research and development spending into making the category a big success.

In this episode of TCS+, Hume chats about what’s new in both the Flip5 and the Fold5 – highlights include the bigger external display on the Flip5 and a new, superior Flex Hinge on the Fold5.

Hume also discusses the camera capabilities in the new phones and, of course, the pricing details of the new models, including trade-in options and the special offers Samsung is providing at launch.

Don’t miss the discussion!

In a landscape dominated by mobile transactions and connections, fewer than 30% of individuals say they are “very concerned” about cybercrime. However, the risk of crypto scams, social engineering attacks, ransomware and phishing remains consistently high.

This was revealed in a recent report dubbed Cybersecurity & Awareness Report 2023 by KnowBe4, which was unpacked during a recent interview with TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show.

Senior vice president for content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa Anna Collard delved into the findings of the report, which provided a comprehensive view of the African cyber landscape and users’ perception of threats by examining key metrics around cybersecurity and awareness.

The report was based on insights from 800 respondents across South Africa, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mauritius and Nigeria.

Discussing the complexity of businesses’ and individuals’ use of the internet, it emerged that life skills are required to navigate different channels, such as WhatsApp, while context-switching between personal and business-related conversations.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals are aware of this distraction and are constantly developing new ways to manipulate users’ distractibility.

According to Collard, a priority was looking at digital device use, digital skills and connectivity to understand fully how devices are used, the perception of risk, as well as the applications most used on these devices.

In Africa, WhatsApp is used extensively for work, more so than in other developed countries. However, there is a lack of corporate advice and awareness around the associated risks. This highlights the importance of ensuring that users understand the risks and know how to use the platform safely.

Cybersecurity awareness also remains low on the continent, with the initial baseline phishing security test results at an average of 31%, meaning one in every three employees is likely to click on a suspicious link or e-mail, or comply with a fraudulent request.

The report also found that distractions and multitasking (38%) and lack of awareness or training (52%) are the primary reasons for staff members making security mistakes.

The report also shone the spotlight on how many are unable to identify common cybersecurity threats like ransomware (43%). Luckily, the majority (60%) understand what two-factor authentication is and 62% could identify a good password.

A major concern was that one in five considered “P@$$word!” to be a secure password.

Collard said it is also key to understand how users experienced different types of cybercrime. The research discovered that just over a third (34%) believed they could recognise a security incident if they saw one.

However, 26% admitted to clicking on a phishing e-mail, 51% have had a virus infection, and 32% have lost money to a scam or con artist, which belied that assertion. Unfortunately, people are still too quick to click on links or attachments from people or brands they think are familiar to them.

Ultimately, it became painfully clear during the discussion that African businesses and internet users remain uninformed about how to mitigate cyber threats, which leaves them vulnerable. Collard stressed the need for cybersecurity training and awareness programmes.

Power outages, particularly load shedding, are causing significant business disruption in South Africa. Electricity supply challenges are disrupting daily life, affecting businesses and damaging the economy.

TechCentral’s Jaydev Chiba chatted to Fikile Sibiya, CIO at e4, the fintech solutions provider, about the challenges of managing IT in the dark (literally) in South Africa.

The conversation focuses on the difficulties IT teams face in providing uninterrupted IT services amid power constraints and other challenges.

Sibiya highlights the need for companies to think differently about their ownership of systems and facilities and suggests that outsourcing data centre services to specialised providers with backup power capabilities could be the answer.

The conversation also delves into the importance of considering alternative energy solutions, like solar power, to ensure continuity and reduce dependence on the grid.

Cybersecurity also comes up in the discussion in the interview, and Sibiya stresses the importance of implementing robust security measures, protecting the network perimeter and being prepared for potential security breaches.

They also touch on the skills shortage in the IT industry and the challenges of attracting and retaining talent. Sibiya emphasises the need for upskilling and cultivating a supportive industry culture to encourage professionals to stay.

The interview ends with a discussion on hybrid work models, with Sibiya advocating for a flexible approach that prioritises work-life balance and stresses the importance of security and awareness training for remote workers.

About e4

e4 is a technology company specialising in digitalisation. With more than 20years’ experience, our knowledge team understands the complexity of a digital journey and partners with clients to provide bespoke and innovative solutions that suit their unique needs. For more information, visit www.e4.co.za.

First National Bank’s Christoph Nieuwoudt is one of the leading South African – and global – experts on artificial intelligence.

The financial services group’s chief data and analytics offer, Nieuwoudt joins Duncan McLeod on TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show to explain why, in his view, South African organisations cannot afford to ignore the revolutionary changes that will be driven by AI in the years ahead.

Nieuwoudt, who graduated with a doctorate in engineering focused on machine learning long before AI was a hot-button topic, talks about his doctoral thesis and his career history, which included co-designing the computer engineering degree at the University of Pretoria.

In this episode of TCS+, Nieuwoudt unpacks:

• What exactly is involved in being a chief data and analytics officer;

• Why AI is critically important to the FirstRand Group and its subsidiaries, including First National Bank and Rand Merchant Bank, and what it allows the group to do differently – and better;

• What it means for FirstRand and FNB/RMB customers;

• The importance of generative AI in business and what it means for productivity gains;

• The applications of AI in banking;

• FirstRand’s AI reskilling initiative – why it’s important, and the outcomes that are expected;

• Ethical, legal and reputational considerations around AI, and FirstRand’s approach to these;

• The people element – and the real fear that people could lose their jobs;

• The cultural and change management issues to be aware of when implementing AI-led initiatives; and

• What youngsters interested in this field should be studying.

Don’t miss a fascinating conversation!

If you are worried about the threat of social engineering and the ways cybercriminals are looking to attack our most vulnerable assets, then this TCS+ conversation is not going to bring you much comfort. What it will do, though, is remind you that you are responsible for your actions and your inactions.

TCS+ welcomed Anna Collard back into the TechCentral studio to hear more about mindfulness and some of the techniques and tools we can apply to bring our emotional and physical selves into a more focused state.

Collard is senior vice president of content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa and has a realistic perspective of the cybersecurity landscape. She promotes knowledge sharing and skills transfer while also sharing practical insights into cybersecurity and how susceptible we are to social engineering tricks if we are not mindful.

Given the complexity of generative AI and the interdisciplinary nature of AI research, the tech giants (Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Meta, for example) are likely to form more partnerships with academic institutions, research organisations and brands, agencies and other companies that may not have well-considered regulations. This is all happening while AI technologies are becoming more powerful and widespread and Collard hints at the growing concern around the ethical and societal implications of AI.

This is where critical thinking comes into play. Collard suggests that it is everyone's responsibility to pause, reflect on their gut feel and question anything that may be at all suspicious. It is our responsibility to seek advice and sound the alarm if necessary.

She encourages companies to invest more in developing guidelines, tools and procedures to ensure the responsible use of AI and to encourage awareness and vigilance. This includes being transparent about your use of AI, your decision-making methods, how to mitigate against bias, enhance privacy protection and much more.

The goal is to keep the mind active and employ very specific decision-making when confronted by potential phishing e-mails or cyber threats,” said Collard. “Cybercriminals, as well as fake news, use emotionally triggering content such as fear, greed or curiosity to trick us out of critical thinking. If we learn to use our heightened emotions as early warning signs, applying mindfulness techniques to quieten down and pay attention before we react, we can remain in control, focus better and in turn prevent cyberattacks.”

Security training is essential for modern business, particularly when it comes to giving employees the tools they need to recognise threats and make informed decisions. However, as the world moves through the fallout from the pandemic, global uncertainty and ongoing stress, adding a wellness dimension to security training is fast becoming a critical factor in ensuring that the training kicks in when tiredness takes over.

In South Africa, there are multiple external factors also contributing to the burnout and stress cycle of cyberattacks on the workplace and in our personal lives. A timely example is that of load shedding, which has reached a critical level and has put immense pressure on people to perform fast and within tight windows of opportunity.

It has also damaged systems, introduced technology quirks and left people frantically clicking to get working. This scenario introduces vulnerabilities such as poor awareness and heightened stress levels that may very easily be taken advantage of by hackers.