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Latest cybersecurity news from Africa


Open source security

Three-day hackathon uncovers hundreds of bugs in Yahoo search engine tool Vespa31 August 2022Open source securityThree-day hackathon uncovers hundreds of bugs in Yahoo search engine tool Vespa

DevSecOps report

Cybersecurity skills are top priorities for enterprise IT, study finds18 May 2022DevSecOps reportCybersecurity skills are top priorities for enterprise IT, study finds

Marcus Hutchins on WannaCry

‘Still to this day it feels like it was all a weird dream’12 May 2022Marcus Hutchins on WannaCry‘Still to this day it feels like it was all a weird dream’

Tearing down red flags

Women in CyberSecurity’s Lynn Dohm on tackling the high exit rate of female infosec pros15 April 2022Tearing down red flagsWomen in CyberSecurity’s Lynn Dohm on tackling the high exit rate of female infosec pros

African banking sector targeted by malware campaign

13 April 2022African banking sector targeted by malware campaignAttackers use HTML smuggling techniques to hide malicious files in fake job opportunities

Exploit chain allows researchers to compromise Pascom phone systems

09 March 2022Exploit chain allows researchers to compromise Pascom phone systemsCloudy with a chance of exploits

Eleven prolific BEC scam suspects arrested in Nigeria

20 January 2022Eleven prolific BEC scam suspects arrested in NigeriaSilverTerrier brought to heel

Leaky bucket

Insecure S3 instance exposed personal data on 500,000 Ghanaian graduates06 January 2022Leaky bucketInsecure S3 instance exposed personal data on 500,000 Ghanaian graduates

Raimund Genes Cup

Trio of near misses ends as PwnThyBytes finally claims CTF title24 December 2021Raimund Genes CupTrio of near misses ends as PwnThyBytes finally claims CTF title

Internet blackout

Human rights activists condemn mass denial of service as Sudan’s nationwide internet shutdown enters second week04 November 2021Internet blackoutHuman rights activists condemn mass denial of service as Sudan’s nationwide internet shutdown enters second week

Cybercrime in Africa

Interpol report details increase in ransomware and botnet attacks26 October 2021Cybercrime in AfricaInterpol report details increase in ransomware and botnet attacks

Advanced Protection Program

Google distributing 10,000 security keys to journalists, elected officials, human rights activists12 October 2021Advanced Protection Program Google distributing 10,000 security keys to journalists, elected officials, human rights activists

Millions of South Africans impacted by ‘significant data breach’

24 September 2021Millions of South Africans impacted by ‘significant data breach’Sensitive information is among datasets potentially exposed

Olympus insists medical services ‘uninterrupted’ by malware attack

14 September 2021Olympus insists medical services ‘uninterrupted’ by malware attackUnconfirmed reports suggest Japanese multinational was hit by ransomware

Coronavirus cybercrime

International gang charged with Covid-19 business email compromise fraud11 August 2021Coronavirus cybercrimeInternational gang charged with Covid-19 business email compromise fraud

Operation Lyrebird

Cybercops nab Moroccan phish-and-carding kingpin06 July 2021Operation LyrebirdCybercops nab Moroccan phish-and-carding kingpin

Sun, sea, and censorship

Mauritian government’s plan to intercept web traffic marks ‘death knell for freedom of speech’06 May 2021Sun, sea, and censorshipMauritian government’s plan to intercept web traffic marks ‘death knell for freedom of speech’

Ransomware survey

Nearly a fifth of victims who pay off extortionists fail to get their data back30 March 2021Ransomware surveyNearly a fifth of victims who pay off extortionists fail to get their data back

The age of Covid-19: Lockdowns and cybersecurity, 12 months on

Infosec ‘slow-pocalypse’ sees surge in ransomware and fraud16 March 2021The age of Covid-19: Lockdowns and cybersecurity, 12 months onInfosec ‘slow-pocalypse’ sees surge in ransomware and fraud

Running the numbers

Ransomware attacks doubled during coronavirus lockdown08 March 2021Running the numbersRansomware attacks doubled during coronavirus lockdown

From ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ to jail – BEC fraudster gets 10 years in prison

17 February 2021From ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ to jail – BEC fraudster gets 10 years in prisonObinwanne Okeke sentenced for masterminding transatlantic BEC scam

Security pro seizes expired DR Congo domain

The researcher purchased the domain to stop it from falling into the wrong hands18 January 2021Security pro seizes expired DR Congo domainThe researcher purchased the domain to stop it from falling into the wrong hands

EU:Africa hackathon

Innovative solutions sought to solve ‘post-crisis’ Covid-19 challenges07 December 2020EU:Africa hackathon Innovative solutions sought to solve ‘post-crisis’ Covid-19 challenges

Network hacking and ransomware fueling cybercrime surge

Carding market doubles in the midst of coronavirus pandemic26 November 2020Network hacking and ransomware fueling cybercrime surgeCarding market doubles in the midst of coronavirus pandemic

German police raid FinFisher over spyware allegations

15 October 2020German police raid FinFisher over spyware allegationsCompany accused of selling surveillance software outside the EU without an export license

Ransomware attacks against SMEs plummet in Southeast Asia

08 September 2020Ransomware attacks against SMEs plummet in Southeast AsiaKaspersky links a 64% year-on-year fall to the decline of WannaCry

Experian South Africa data breach may impact millions of residents

20 August 2020Experian South Africa data breach may impact millions of residentsCredit reporting agency handed data to fraudsters claiming to represent ‘legitimate client’

‘It’s our job to sound the alarm over vulnerabilities’

Bug bounty leader Clément Domingo on cybersecurity in Africa, hacking events, and chaining bugs for maximum impact24 July 2020‘It’s our job to sound the alarm over vulnerabilities’Bug bounty leader Clément Domingo on cybersecurity in Africa, hacking events, and chaining bugs for maximum impact

South African healthcare provider hit by cyber-attack

09 June 2020South African healthcare provider hit by cyber-attackLife Healthcare is investigating extent to which patients’ data has been compromised

Johannesburg cyber-attack

City chiefs resist ultimatum as ransom deadline passes29 October 2019Johannesburg cyber-attackCity chiefs resist ultimatum as ransom deadline passes

Digital rights in Ethiopia

Change in government spurs hopes for cybercrime law review17 October 2019Digital rights in EthiopiaChange in government spurs hopes for cybercrime law review

Hacktivism returns to its roots as a cyber warfare tool

22 August 2019Hacktivism returns to its roots as a cyber warfare toolBack in hack

Security remains an afterthought across the African continent

…but improvements are being made to stem the tide of cybercrime14 May 2019Security remains an afterthought across the African continent…but improvements are being made to stem the tide of cybercrime

Global governments’ rising commitments to cybersecurity

16 April 2019Global governments’ rising commitments to cybersecurity But more effort is needed, says UN body

South Africa welcomes new cybercrime legislation

08 February 2019South Africa welcomes new cybercrime legislationLong-anticipated law expected to pass by end of year

South African electricity provider said to be exposing customer details

06 February 2019South African electricity provider said to be exposing customer detailsEskom security team confirms an investigation is underway

The manipulation game

Epic DNS hacking campaign targets orgs worldwide10 January 2019The manipulation gameEpic DNS hacking campaign targets orgs worldwide

Swig Security Review 2018: Part II

31 December 2018Swig Security Review 2018: Part IIKey thinkers on the biggest stories and security trends of 2018

Bad for business

Study cites cyber-attacks as main worry for executives worldwide12 November 2018Bad for businessStudy cites cyber-attacks as main worry for executives worldwide

Cybersecurity workforce gap fast becoming a chasm, report indicates

There are now close to three million unfilled security positions around the world17 October 2018Cybersecurity workforce gap fast becoming a chasm, report indicatesThere are now close to three million unfilled security positions around the world