Take guard against cyber swindlers

Cybercrime impacting organisations, businesses and the public is growing exponentially.

Recent reports suggest South Africa is among the countries most targeted on digital platforms, caused largely by a lack of investment in cybersecurity.

While South Africa has in the last two years experienced a slew of high-profile cyber attacks against organisations such as Transnet, TransUnion and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, private individuals are also under siege.

Whether it is unsolicited emails from so-called courier companies about package arrivals prompting clicks on a link for easy payment of a delivery fee, or a phone call from your bank asking you for a one-time PIN, hackers are constantly honing their creativity to exploit anyone who lets their guard down.

The Courier spoke to Umdloti’s Jason Hewitt who holds a BSc Honours degree in information technology from the University of Greenwich, specialising in security and storage, and has more than a decade of industry experience.

He said cyber criminals preyed on people’s desire for something specific in order to get their hands on one’s money.

Through a technique called social engineering, they suss out your interests and target you with something you are emotionally invested in. It could be finding employment overseas, online gambling, or a dream island holiday.

Hewitt says that basic security precautions in the online space should mirror those in one’s daily life outside the digital sphere. This should be the first defence against cyber swindlers trying to get access to your information.

• Do you lock the front door? Use hard-to-crack passwords.
• Do you have armed response? Use anti-virus software, preferably paid for versions.
• Do you have a dog? Use two-factor authentication for everything – try the Google Authenticator app.
• Do you have a safe? Keep apps and software updated.

“Best practice for passwords is to change them often and to have different passwords for all your accounts. Use a password manager to help generate and keep passwords safe,” he said.

“When using public Wi-Fi, use an Incognito window that doesn’t leave any footprints for potential bad actors to follow you.

“When it comes to emails and any websites that require the use of login credentials, be a super sleuth and look out for anything unusual that might point to mischief. It could be as simple as a typo in the domain name. If a website uses the protocol HTTP instead of HTTPS, it’s not a secure website and you should proceed with caution.”

He also advised switching off sharing services such as NFC, Bluetooth, Quick Share and Airdrop when not in use as those provide possible doorways into your devices.

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