Increase in cyber-attacks expected this year!

Following Microsoft’s recent Digital Defence report indicating a 74% increase in password attacks, resulting in about 921 attacks per second, cyber-attacks are expected to increase this year.

Tech Reporter

ESET South Africa CEO Carey van Vlaanderen says passwords remain an easy win for threat actors, but that is often down to users lending this attack vector to them on a plate.

“Attackers compromise business networks prior to their phishing campaigns to look authentic, and even when victims believe to be carrying out diligence on a site, they still can be duped into believing they are in communication with a real deal,” van Vlaanderen says.

She adds that passwords continue to be an inconvenience in people’s lives, often down to not knowing or even trusting free security layers on offer.

“Implementing password managers on devices can help force unique and strong passwords for all accounts. Introducing two-factor authentication on every account helps reduce the impact of phishing campaigns,” she adds.

The past year saw a tremendous increase in businesses and consumers embracing cloud, and this space will yet again be a target for cybercriminals.

Van Vlaanderen says the shift to cloud hosting applications and infrastructure elevates cybersecurity risks.

While cloud services offer incredible benefits, it is imperative to use a reputable cloud service provider; optimising and configuration using best practices; using the best cybersecurity software; multi-factor authenti-