by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – GLOBAL cyber security firm, Trend Micro, is paving the way for a collaborative approach to fighting cyber crime amid a sharp increase in attacks in Africa.
Amid a 95-percent increase, South Africa was reported as having the third most victims of cyber crime in 2021 in the world.
A chronic lack of investment in cyber security measures across the continent coupled with a growing dependence on technology has resulted in the number of attacks in Africa growing significantly over the last decade.
“Although the cyber security maturity of Africa has increased in recent years, it is not at the same standard compared to our peers from other parts of the world,” said Trend Micro Senior Sales Engineer, Zaheer Ebrahim.
“When we look at the public disclosure of these attacks and have a deeper understanding, we can deduce that basic security controls are not in play within majority of the enterprises out there,” Ebrahim said.
Africa has already grabbed the attention of cyber criminals and has experienced several high-profile breaches in recent months.
This vulnerability further emphasises the need for cross-sector collaboration, according to Trend Micro.
“Africa has always been seen as the forgotten continent,” said Ebrahim.
“The recent attacks that have been made public just show the extent to which African countries are still being seen as the playground for bad actors,” Ebrahim said.
Trend Micro recently invested in partnerships with both global and local institutions to bring down cyber criminals in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy.
The plan, named Operation Killer Bee, saw Trend Micro partnering with global law enforcement INTERPOL and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to bring down three suspects linked to a global scam targeting companies involved in the oil and gas industry.
This was ahead of a critical Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting.
“Protecting the public and businesses from cyber threats requires law enforcement to work closely with and to rely upon the expertise of the private sector,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble.
– CAJ News