by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has urged the public to be wary of cyber crime this festive season.
It has highlighted three cyber security considerations as the annual holiday season approaches.
The first concerns are the need for citizens to report cybercrime as they would any other crime.
Secondly, recent events involving the Department of Justice and Transnet have revealed that cybercriminals are scaling up their ransomware attacks, in particular.
Ransomware is malware that infects a target and threatens to either publish a victim’s personal data or block access until a ransom is paid.
Fortunately, consumers can speak to their Internet Service Provider (ISP) about Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) that help prevent attackers from sending fraudulent messages.
“Finally, the third cyber security consideration is simple,” ISPA stated.
“Don’t believe everything you see online,” the internet providers’ association stated.
“Staying safe in cyberspace is mostly about exercising common sense and taking everything you read, see and hear with a pinch of salt. The world’s full of unsavory characters and the virtual world’s their cover.”
ISPA maintains a Cyber Safety Resources page to help consumers see through the cyber subterfuge.
It is a non-profit industry body representing the majority of South Africa’s ISPs who connect the country’s internet users to the worldwide web.
ISPA is involved in the National Cyber Security Hub.
– CAJ News