Mimecast\u2019s State of Email Security 2020 report<\/strong><\/a> said ransomware attacks had impacted their organisation.<\/p>\nCommon consequences of successful attacks included data loss, downtime and financial loss.<\/p>\n
Duane Nicol, subject matter expert for security awareness and brand protection services at Mimecast, predicts we\u2019ll continue to see major ransomware strains that will compromise global networks in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective won\u2019t be money, but anarchy. DoppelPaymer proved this in 2020 when an attack on a German hospital delayed a dying lady from getting to hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome have even labelled this as the first officially recorded death due to cyberattack. It\u2019s since been proven that she would likely have died anyway, but some might say she would have had more of a chance if she hadn\u2019t been turned away from the first hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first month of 2021 we\u2019ve already seen major developments in ransomware,\u201d said Nicol.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaw enforcement has already gone after and shut down emotet and other botnets and ransomware gangs, but the war continues as new minor strains and malware components have appeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are also new ransomware operators coming out and there have been changes in tactics from existing gangs.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the world waiting anxiously for the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine, cybercriminals are likely to capitalise on this. A key US-based cold storage provider has already been the subject of a ransomware attack.<\/p>\n
Healthcare providers, vaccine-related organisations, and their logistical partners therefore need to remain on high alert over an increased likelihood of cyberattack at this time.<\/p>\n
Researchers have also noted an uptick in vaccine-related misinformation which may further complicate the effective rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine to those who need it most.<\/p>\n
Remote workers become prime targets<\/h3>\n
With many people likely to continue working from home in 2021, Brian Pinnock, senior director at Mimecast, believes an increase in cyberattacks exploring consumer-grade home networking vulnerabilities is inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch attacks will negatively affect businesses that have not yet adapted their network security posture to align with the new hybrid work scenarios,\u201d says Pinnock.<\/p>\n
“Data breaches involving insiders will increase due to continued remote work. It\u2019s also likely that cyberattacks will increase faster for smaller businesses than for large organisations, who are likely to increase their uptake of cyber insurance in the belief that this will mitigate all risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renewed focus on cybersecurity awareness training<\/h3>\n
Employee awareness of cyber risks will be in the spotlight in 2021, and organisations will likely enhance their cybersecurity awareness training efforts to strengthen their \u2018human firewall\u2019.<\/p>\n
In Mimecast\u2019s State of Email Security 2020 report, 99% of South African respondents offered security awareness training.<\/p>\n
However, there are questions about the effectiveness of some of this training.<\/p>\n
In a recent global study by Mimecast, employees were asked about their use of work devices for personal activities during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
The study found that half of South African respondents admitted to opening emails they considered suspicious.<\/p>\n
Heino Gevers, customer success director at Mimecast, says companies will be forced to adopt new means of supporting remote work even if things return to normal in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrganisations will need to enhance their cybersecurity awareness training if they are to protect their employees and systems from avoidable threats,\u201d said Gevers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity teams are likely to launch live phishing simulations and other real-life, de-weaponised campaigns to stress-test employees\u2019 ability to identify and avoid risky behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur research has found that in 2020, end-users making use of Mimecast Awareness Training are five times less likely to click on dangerous links, so investments into effective and regular awareness training can be hugely beneficial to an organisation\u2019s overall security posture.”<\/p>\n
Reported breaches skyrocket due to POPIA<\/h3>\n
Starting in July, South Africans should also expect to see headlines proclaiming a massive increase in data breaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will simply be a reflection of what I believe to be already high levels of unreported data breaches, that will suddenly be made public in line with the POPI Act\u2019s breach notification obligations,\u201d says Pinnock.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also when we will possibly start seeing the first regulatory fines being issued due to significant data breaches.”<\/p>\n
Protecting public sector systems in the cloud<\/h3>\n
Thomas Mangwiro, public sector specialist at Mimecast, believes the growing adoption of cloud services among South African public sector organisations is enabling greater agility.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic sector ICT leaders will seek growing levels of support from technology and cybersecurity partners to build greater cyber resilience in an effort to protect systems and infrastructure from cyberattacks,\u201d said Mangwiro.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs more systems move to the cloud, new strategies will be needed to ensure high levels of security and compliance to public sector policy while maintaining data sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCloud adoption will help the public sector with productivity and the increased ability to deliver services. But downtime due to an outage could lead to widespread disruption of critical national infrastructure if these departments are all dependent on a single cloud provider.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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