A poorly identified backdoor application called “SessionManager” was set up as a malicious module within the Internet Information Services (IIS), a well-known web server created by Microsoft, according to experts at the Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky. Once it has spread, SessionManager makes a variety of harmful operations possible, from email collection to total command over…
Cape Town, South Africa, 30 June 2022 – More than half of cybersecurity professionals agree that people don’t need a university degree to have a successful career in cybersecurity, despite 85% of those professionals holding degrees related to IT, computer science technology. Forty-five percent of those surveyed reported working in careers and professions other than cybersecurity in…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has published a new sectoral survey report, “The State of Ransomware in Healthcare 2022.” The findings reveal a 94% increase in ransomware attacks on the organizations surveyed in this sector. In 2021, 66% of healthcare organizations were hit; 34% were hit the previous year. The silver lining, however, is…
OXFORD June 8, 2022 – Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today released the “Active Adversary Playbook 2022,” detailing attacker behaviors that Sophos’ Rapid Response team saw in the wild in 2021. The findings show a 36% increase in dwell time, with a median intruder dwell time of 15 days in 2021 versus 11 days…
The cost of cybercrime on Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to be $4.1 billion by 2021, according to Kenyan cybersecurity startup Serianu. Throughout the Covid-19 issue, the region has been badly struck, with threat actors taking advantage of weak networks and insufficient cybersecurity policies in several countries. “We are noticing a rise in…
When a small business owner is juggling production economics, financial reporting, and marketing, cybersecurity might seem complicated and, at times, pointless. Cybercriminals, on the other hand, are taking advantage of this lack of concern for IT security. Researchers from Kaspersky compared the dynamics of assaults on small and medium-sized firms between January and April 2022…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today announced it has been named a leader in the 2022 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Endpoint Protection, Detection and Response. It is commended as an Overall Leader, sweeping all product, innovation and market leadership ratings. “An increasing number of organizations are being hit with ransomware, and the average ransom payment…
Cybersecurity has become a requirement in the digital age, when everything is digital. Data breaches and cyberattacks have occurred in both small and large firms on occasion, raising awareness regarding cybersecurity for businesses. If you use the internet to manage your organization, cybersecurity is an absolute essential. There is no need to invest a lot…
Cape Town, South Africa, 4 May 2022 – The reality of today’s world is that employees are more mobile than ever, which means that their data is spread across more environments than ever before. Hybrid work is now cemented as the forever work style for many South African businesses, but with that flexibility comes a new…
Android and privacy haven’t always gone hand in hand. The majority of Google’s revenues still come from its data-driven advertising business, which is primarily reliant on user data, much of it acquired directly from Android users. By incorporating a variety of security safeguards and privacy protections into the software, Google now provides its users more…
In light of recent developments and the resulting circumstance posed by the pandemic in 2020, many schools and institutions are planning to switch, and some have already switched, to online learning, teaching, conferencing, and meetings, resulting in an increase in users of conference platforms such as Zoom, and Google meet. More concerns should be raised…
The FBI has issued a warning about the BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), which it claims has victimized at least 60 entities worldwide as of March 2022, since its discovery last November. The ransomware, also known as ALPHV and Noberus, is notable for being the first malware written in the Rust programming language, which is known to…
In the daily rush for digital gold, more people are attempting to make money from cryptocurrencies. As a result of the insatiable demand for cryptocurrency, the number of criminals and con artists has also increased. The world appears to have gone ‘crypto-crazy.’ The popularity of digital currencies such as bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum, and even Dogecoin…
Threats to cybersecurity are at an all-time high. With more companies adopting hybrid work models, it’s more important than ever to educate employees on the many cybersecurity dangers that come with working remotely. Employees who work from home offer a bigger security risk than those who operate in an office in a hybrid work environment….
OXFORD, U.K. – March 31, 2022 – Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has released findings on how attackers are using the Log4Shell vulnerability to deliver backdoors and profiling scripts to unpatched VMware Horizon servers, paving the way for persistent access and future ransomware attacks. A new technical paper, “Horde of Miner Bots and Backdoors Leveraged Log4J to…
A cyber training project has been launched by USIU-Africa, Kenya Bankers Association, and Serianu. The program will train 2,000 people, bolstering Kenya’s cyber security capabilities. The training program, dubbed Cyber Shujaa, is unique in that it develops and implements a standardized cybersecurity employment framework. It acts as a link between industry and educational institutions. It…
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – The launch of Skyhigh Security has been announced this week in South Africa. This is the second new company formed from the splitting of McAfee Enterprise into two separate entities – Trellix and Skyhigh Security – to better focus on the very distinct markets of Extended Detection and Response and the…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has released new insight into an international cryptocurrency trading scam called CryptoRom that targets iPhone and Android users through popular dating apps, such as Bumble and Tinder. The new research, “CryptoRom Swindlers Continue to Target Vulnerable iPhone/Android Users,” is based on first hand stories and content shared with Sophos…
Ransomware is becoming more dangerous and expensive all the time, and it has affected nearly every industry and geography. Nobody is safe from the threat. According to Fortinet’s global ransomware survey, 67 percent of organizations have experienced a ransomware attack. Worse, nearly half of those polled said they had been targeted more than once, and…
Some of today’s most successful businesses began as startups. They usually begin with a brilliant idea or a new technology that promises to solve a problem and force us to reconsider how we do business. The African region is no stranger to startups; according to reports, African startups raised nearly $5 billion in total estimated…
Providing children with the skills they need to protect themselves online can be extremely beneficial to families. Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity and digital privacy company, shares seven digital practices that parents can teach their children. To survive in today’s Internet world, everyone requires certain skills. While adults typically learn these skills as new technologies emerge,…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today released findings of a dual ransomware attack where extortion notes left by Karma ransomware operators were encrypted 24 hours later by Conti, another ransomware gang that was in the target’s network at the same time. Sophos details the dual attacks in the article, “Conti and Karma Actors Attack Healthcare…
Tokenization is a ground-breaking technology development that goes beyond standard payments and has the power to totally change a variety of different industries. Tokenization is the process of converting private information into unique, non-private tokens that faithfully represent the original information. By preventing unauthorised use and prying eyes from accessing confidential information, this method improves…
Cybersecurity is one of the industries that suffers from significant bias and gender stereotypes. This field is becoming increasingly important in our digital world, and as a result, it offers a variety of rewarding career paths and opportunities. However, there are still significant barriers and misperceptions that lead women to believe that a career in…
While analyzing the threat landscape of African countries, Kaspersky experts observed a steady decline in mobile device attacks in the region, as cybercriminals concentrated their efforts to focus on more complicated, dangerous, and profitable threats. These and other findings are included in Kaspersky’s report, Mobile Threats in 2021. Overall, South African users faced 38% fewer…
For an organization or individual, social media offers a plethora of opportunities to promote and expand a brand. Social media, a powerful form of communication that uses the internet, can provide any organization with a strong global presence. Most businesses believe they need a social media presence because these platforms and apps have billions of…
Payment structure narratives are changing as a result of technological advancements. Naturally, this convenience increases the risk of payment fraud. Each new payment method carries its own set of risks. Evina, a mobile anti-fraud specialist, examined the prevalence and evolution of this threat in 2021, with a focus on the African continent and the Middle…
Google has announced the expansion of its two-step verification (2SV) process for log-ins to improve account security after its newly introduced two-step verification initiative saw a 50% drop in account breaches for 150 million Gmail and 2 million YouTube creators accounts under the 2SV initiative. The 2SV introduces the use of mobile phones to confirm…
Because we have no other option, South Africans have grown accustomed to dealing with crime. Various sources rank South Africa near the top of lists of countries with the highest crime rates in the world. If you are a South African or live in South Africa, you most likely take a variety of precautions at…
Globally, cryptocurrency industry funding has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Crypto startups raised more than $27 billion in venture capital last year alone, which is slightly more than the previous ten years combined. Moreover, despite a drop in the price of cryptocurrencies, American venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm launched a $2.2 billion…