With the recent data breach at Liberty, many organisations in South Africa are looking to adopt a more proactive approach to securing critical data. Last week, the insurer reported that hackers had infiltrated their IT infrastructure, acquired access to customer data and threatened to reveal the data should the company refuse to pay ransom. The insurer refused to pay.
Matt Boddy, Security Specialist at Sophos, says it was a good move for the company to refuse to pay the ransom. “After all, there’s no guarantee that the crooks wouldn’t leak the data anyway, or sell it to other crooks, or come back with bigger demands next month. In fact, now the crooks have this data, what if they get hacked in turn and the data stolen by someone else – the “pay for silence” game could go on forever”, he said.
“This isn’t like a ransomware attack, where crooks demand money to get your computer system running again”, he added.
Boddy says that Liberty customers should watch out for future news from the company about this breach; keep an eye on your bank statements; and, as always, be vigilant about emails, phone calls and text messages that offer to “help you recover” from this security incident.
There is no denying that the digital transformation era is upon us and as companies embrace new technologies such as cloud computing, big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things, security needs to be a priority. Automation of business processes and the increasing digital connectedness leads to a rise in cybersecurity risks and threats. To avoid risks, businesses should build security into all applications as well as into all IoT devices.
With this in mind, IT News Africa will host The Digital Transformation Congress at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on 26 July 2018 where speakers will explore how organisations can tackle security challenges to succeed with Digital Transformation.
Under the theme, “Redefining the Future Organisation through Digital”, the event will create a platform for business leaders and technology innovators to come together and collaborate on the re-invention of products, processes, cultures and technologies through digital transformation.
The programme will also include various tracks designed to bring you the most progressive examples of real-world digital transformation journeys found in the IT industry.
Other topics for DTC 2018 include:
- “Yes we can. Yes we did. Digital Transformation in the Obama White House”.
- Developing a Digital Transformation Roadmap.
- Re-Thinking Business-IT Alignment.
- Weaving Artificial Intelligence into the Modern Organisation.
- Re-Aligning the Business Model to Effectively Engage Digital Customers.
- Tackling Security Challenges to Succeed with Digital Transformation.
- Accelerating Digital Transformation with IoT.
- Is Africa Ready for GDPR?
Who should attend DTC 2018?
The Digital Transformation congress is the key meeting place for IT and business executives in Africa. The conference will attract senior decision-makers, local and international CxOs, line-of-business (LoB) executives as well as heads of innovation, technology and strategy.
How to participate:
Join as an attendee: Join local and international CxOs, line-of-business (LoB) executives as well as heads of innovation, technology and strategy to discuss the techniques and tools required to implement a seamless digital transformation strategy that will drive profitability and customer centricity.
Join us as an exhibitor: Showcase your technology innovations, projects, and solutions. Put your organisation, company or SME at the centre of this one-of-a-kind gathering. Find new partnerships, investors, leads, and opportunities.
For more information regarding the conference, visit: http://www.digitaltransformationcongress.com/
[t]: 011 026 0981/2 [e]: events@itnewsafrica.com
