This is according to Mimecast Vice-President, responsible for sales and engineering in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Brian Pinnock, who was OFM Business Hour to discuss the evolution of the data protection landscape on the back of International Data Privacy Day which took place on Saturday, 28 January 2023.

 The evolution of phishing, ransomware attacks

Pinnock says the incorrect logs, poor writing styles and spelling mistakes that were the hall markers of phishing attacks are no longer reliable indicators as cybercriminals savvy up. Ransomware has also evolved, to second and third level extortion. The Mimecast Vice-President, responsible for sales and engineering in Europe, the Middle East and Africa says criminals no longer need to encrypt your data, all they have to do is steal it and put it on the dark web or ransom it to your clients. He stresses that data privacy is not just an issue relegated to your information technology teams in your organisation “it’s also a brand issue”.

International Data Privacy Day – how does SA fare? 

The day originated in the European Union (EU) and was done to commemorate the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Pinnock notes while South Africa now has similar legislation to that in Europe, such asthe Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), there are some deficiencies.

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The number of cyberattacks that South Africa experiences on a per capita basis are much higher than in European countries.

Pinnock says South African Mimecast clients are attacked at twice the rate their counterparts in the United Kingdon are and this isn’t limited to just Mimecast statistics. 

It also appears that local organisations are aware of this vulnerability with “70% of SA organisations believing the risk of cyberattacks will rise in the next 2 years” says the Mimecast Vice-President, responsible for sales and engineering in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

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The most attacked vector is email 

Pinnock says 9 out of 10 cyberattacks start with email and then once in, the perpetrators use other methods to gain access into the organisational system.

Tips to avert threats to data security 

He advises companies/businesses to acknowledge their cybersecurity risks and create awareness around safe online habits with employees and clients. Pinnock urges businesses to find a way to protect their brand images by preventing email spoofing amongst other things.

OFM