Mar 8, 2024 | Business
Cybersecurity is crucial in South Africa due to its reliance on digital technologies and the prevalence of cyber threats. As one of Africa’s most targeted countries, South Africa faces risks such as ransomware attacks and data breaches, jeopardising individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure. With rapid digital transformation in finance, healthcare, and government, robust cybersecurity is essential to safeguard sensitive data, ensure operational continuity, and mitigate financial losses.
In a recent cybersecurity incident in South Africa, a leading financial institution became the target of a sophisticated ransomware attack, resulting in extensive disruptions to its operations and the compromise of sensitive customer data. Exploiting vulnerabilities in the institution’s network infrastructure, threat actors infiltrated systems and encrypted critical files, issuing ransom demands. Faced with a critical decision, the institution navigated the dilemma of whether to comply with demands, risking further exploitation, or resist, potentially enduring severe operational and reputational repercussions. Through a concerted response effort involving cybersecurity experts, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies, the institution successfully mitigated the attack, restored affected systems, and instituted enhanced security measures to prevent future breaches.
This case underscores the pervasive cyber threat landscape confronting organizations in South Africa and the imperative of robust cybersecurity protocols. It underscores the necessity for continual monitoring, routine vulnerability assessments, and proactive risk management strategies to counter evolving cyber threats effectively. Moreover, it emphasizes the pivotal role of collaboration between the public and private sectors in combatting cybercrime and safeguarding national critical infrastructure from malicious actors.
The Cyber Security Summit endeavors to address critical aspects, including strengthening the protection of national critical information infrastructure, fostering coordinated approaches to national cybersecurity, and enhancing regional and international cyber-capacity building efforts.
Overview of the event:
The Cyber Security Summit, an exclusive in-person event for cybersecurity leaders in South Africa, convenes under the theme “South Africa’s Cyber Security Models For Tomorrow”. With a focus on the nation’s safety and security in the cyber realm, the 21st Edition will feature top security experts sharing strategies, action plans, and best practices to bolster South Africa’s cybersecurity sector and establish a next-generation digital cyber vault. Gathering over 150 industry experts, the summit equips attendees with essential tools to safeguard businesses from risks.
The event will kick-off with a high-profile panel discussion titled “The Cyber Threat Landscape in South Africa: What Lies Ahead?” featuring esteemed industry experts:
– Martin Oliver, Head of Information Technology, AVIS Southern Africa.
– Prof. Basie von Solms, Director: Centre for Cyber Security, University of Johannesburg.
– Joseph Stokes, Group Head: Cyber Security and IT Governance, Telesure Investment Holdings.
– Gert Thoonen, Principal Architect OT Security, Rockwell Automation.
The attendees will engage in insightful sponsor presentations, workshops, and fireside chats delving into various aspects of cybersecurity, including the role of Generative AI in defence against digital threats and strategies for privacy-preserving data sharing and collaboration in the cloud.
Key agenda highlights include:
– A workshop by Rockwell Automation focusing on a risk-based approach for Africa’s mission-critical infrastructure.
– Fireside chats featuring discussions on the transformative potential of Generative AI in cybersecurity and the challenges of connecting the digital dots with safety.
– Panel discussions exploring mechanisms for securely sharing data while preserving privacy, leveraging AI-powered algorithms for threat detection, and ensuring compliance with South Africa’s cybersecurity regulations.
– The summit provides a unique platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and cybersecurity professionals to exchange insights, explore innovative solutions, and forge collaborative partnerships in the fight against cyber threats.
Join us at Cyber Security Summit South Africa to be part of this critical dialogue shaping the future of cybersecurity in the nation.
Click on the link, for more information on Cyber Security Summit, South Africa.
For Media Enquiries, contact:
Kasturi Nayak (Sr. Marketing Executive)
Kasturi.nayak@exito-e.com
Enquiry@exito-e.com
Exito Media Concepts
Topic: Press release summary
Dec 1, 2023 | Business
Paragon Cyber Solutions LLC was presented with the prestigious Small Business of the Year Award in the 5-20 employee category on November 16, 2023 at the Tampa Seminole Hard Rock & Casino Events Center.
This award caps off an impressive year for Paragon Cyber Solutions as they were previously named one of Grow FL’s Top 50 Companies to Watch, a recipient of the 2023 Hire Vets Medallion Platinum Award and now the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Small Business of the Year.
Finalists for the Small Business of the Year award underwent an extensive ten-month process which included hosting an in-office site visit, presenting for a panel of judges all while continuing the day-to-day operations that made them a finalist amongst over 400 nominees.
After winning the award, Founder/CEO Courtney H. Jackson shared the following heartfelt message: “A special thank you to our amazing Chamber of Commerce for this prestigious award. It serves as both motivation and validation, inspiring us to reach greater heights and make even more meaningful contributions to the community. Thank you to my team. Your hard work, loyalty, and commitment are the backbone of our success. Thank you to the Tampa community. When my family and I relocated here over five years ago, we were welcomed with open arms – including by our very own Mayor. Together, let’s continue to innovate, collaborate, and make a positive impact on the world around us.”
Categories
-
Awards
-
Business
-
Women in Business
Oct 9, 2023 | Business
RedSense, a trusted provider of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) to some of the world’s most sophisticated threat intel organizations, including prominent Fortune 100 firms across numerous industries, today announced Andrew Klein as its new Head of Product.
“As RedSense continues to redefine what Threat Intelligence can provide to cybersecurity organizations, and more companies reevaluate their CTI ecosystem for improved, more cost-effective results, it is increasingly important we drive our product and services forward to address the ever-changing threat landscape,” said Mike Zeiger, founder and CEO of RedSense. “With decades of experience in cybersecurity and software, Andy is going to help continue our momentum into the coming years and advance our strategy.”
Klein, a serial entrepreneur and long-time veteran of software and security, most recently served in various roles at RSA Security and NetWitness, including Product Marketing, Product Management and Sales Engineering. His wide experience will help advance RedSense’s customer experience and ongoing strategy.
RedSense most recently released a new intelligence collection system for compromised credentials and financial data that affect their clients directly. According to Klein, “A key reason I am excited to Join RedSense is the proven track record of their threat intelligence research team. I have never seen professionals more skilled at discovering threats and turning that into highly actionable knowledge for their consumers.”
About RedSense
RedSense Cyber Threat Intelligence provides products and services to many of the world’s most sophisticated corporate threat intelligence departments and security organizations. As companies rethink their intelligence frameworks for greater efficacy and cost-effectiveness, RedSense evolves with them, providing innovative solutions that increase efficiency, reduce risk, and help protect organizations from substantial harm. To learn more, visit RedSense.com.
Sep 10, 2023 | Business
Singaporean cyber security start-up Responsible Cyber signed itself up for a cyber security audit that would grant a third-party the information it needs to ascertain whether the organisation is indeed equipped to protect itself (and therefore its clients, and its clients’ clients) in the digital domain.
When asked why they did it, the co-founder and Managing Director Dr Magda Chelly had this to say, “We cannot in good conscience encourage other businesses to undertake rigorous cyber security audits while not subjecting our own people, processes and technology to the same scrutiny.”
“We wanted to demonstrate that adopting cyber security best practices can be done without necessarily breaking the bank or stretching resources thin, and I think we did just that,” she added.
Upon successfully passing the audit conducted by one of CSA’s appointed certification bodies, Responsible Cyber was awarded the Cyber Essentials mark, a cyber security certification introduced by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in 2022 as part of the SG Cyber Safe Programme.
Frequent news of data breaches has fuelled apprehension surrounding the security of personal data, prompting the demand for heightened cyber security measures by businesses – and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are no exception.
SMEs may not have the luxury of a dedicated IT security team, nor the ability to invest in robust cyber security measures and tools, but there is hope yet, says Project and Compliance Manager Wayne Yan who described the exercise as “fairly straightforward with ample guidance.”
“We reviewed our existing policies against the checklist that was provided, and ensured that all required security controls were implemented and reflected in our policies.”
For organisations that require additional help, CSA has also made tailored cyber security toolkits freely available for download on their official website.
As the name suggests, the Cyber Essentials mark serves to distinguish organisations that have built a minimum level of security into their operations. It provides a baseline from which organisations can start to reduce their exposure to common cyber threats and vulnerabilities, but it is far from a guarantee of protection against emerging threats.
“Safeguarding against threats is a continuous journey, requiring constant vigilance and adaptation. We are committed to the protection of the data with which we have been entrusted. We hope that this sentiment gets reflected to our clients and that more cyber security companies will take the opportunity to set the tone,” said Dr Chelly.
Every business – whether a small organisation embarking on its digital journey or a large multi-national corporation with digitalised business functions – needs to play its part.
Co-founder Mikko Laaksonen has added that they would be gearing up for the Cyber Trust mark certification next, where assessments will be even more rigorous, encompassing document review and verification, as well as an evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness.
Meanwhile, certified SMEs are also eligible to apply for the SME Cyber Security Excellence award that CSA is collaborating with Association of Trade & Commerce (ATC) on.
About
Responsible Cyber Pte. Ltd is a Singapore-based cyber security and risk management start-up established in 2016 by industry veterans Magda Chelly and Mikko Laaksonen. Today, the company has a presence in the UK, France and Poland. Its corporate shareholders include Singtel Innov8 and NUS Enterprise. The company stands at the forefront of cyber security innovation with the introduction of two pioneering AI-powered products: IMMUNE X-TPRM and IMMUNE GRC.
IMMUNE X-TPRM is our answer to modern third-party risk management challenges. On the other hand, IMMUNE GRC is designed to streamline governance, risk, and compliance processes.
To learn more about Responsible Cyber, visit www.responsible-cyber.com
Contact