SA exposed to cyber security threats amid conflict in Iran

As geopolitical conflict escalates in the Middle East, driving up fuel prices among many other issues, South African cyber networks have become particularly vulnerable to hacking. What does this mean for your network connection, data protection and your company? Following the arrival of the US cybersecurity company investing in South Africa earlier this year,Palo Altoaims to provide secure networks and job opportunities to combat unemployment and the skills gap.

The regional director for Southern Africa, Justin Lee, says that the cybersecurity network’s Unit 42 is tracking a surge in hacktivist activity and phishing campaigns in the conflict’s wake, causing ripple effects well beyond the region. Lee says that organisations in South Africa are breached every three hours and that 90% of these cyberattacks are preventable. “Globally, the time between a network intrusion and data theft has dropped to around 72 minutes, down from 285 minutes in 2024.” Acknowledging the countries’ significant strides in digital governance, accelerating towards a centralised MyMzanzi platform that was Cabinet-approved, he points out how the attack surface grows just as rapidly as digital ambitions.

According to Unit 42 research, Palo Alto Networks’ threat intelligence division has identified over 750 major incidents across 50 countries, suggesting that the primary drivers of breaches are not sophisticated. “In 87% of investigated cases, responders had to piece together evidence from two or more separate systems, meaning fragmented defences, not novel techniques, are enabling most attacks.” Interpol reports show that cybercrime costs South Africa around R2.2 billion every year. Along with the Information Regulator currently receiving around 284 breach notifications monthly. According to Lee, most organisations in South Africa have significantly invested in cybersecurity; however, the problem is that those investments have made things more complicated, not more secure.