Liquid C2 Cyber Security Report indicates that cyberattacks increased in Kenya, South Africa and Zambia by 76% in 2022

According to Liquid C2, a division of pan-African technology company Liquid Intelligent Technologies (https://www.Liquid.Tech), there have been 76% more cyberattacks on companies in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. The most recent cyber security report – The Evolving Cyber Security Landscape in Africa 2022 supports this – (https://apo-opa.info/3XLnJ9T).

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The report, which includes research, analysis, and findings from the three nations on the changing cyber security threats seen in Africa, demonstrates a sharp increase in cyberattacks against all major corporations. Businesses in Kenya reported an 82% spike in similar attacks, while those in South Africa and Zambia saw increases of 62% and 62%, respectively.

The fact that businesses claim to have greater cyber security procedures in place raises the most worry from this survey. Companies cannot afford to get complacent since threats are growing more quickly than security measures, according to David Behr, CEO of Liquid C2. “The research emphasizes the need for organizations to maintain constant vigilance regarding the landscape of cybercrime, which is constantly changing, and the techniques used by bad actors to circumvent cyber security measures. Everyone cannot afford the luxury of complacency, as the report demonstrates.

There are several reasons to be positive; all respondents in the research stated that their cloud and digital strategies and cyber security skills had greatly improved. Additionally, the majority (68%) of the businesses surveyed for the study stated that they had hired cyber security staff members or joined a cyber security team in the previous year. The ratio was 82% in Kenya, followed by 63 % in South Africa and 62 % in Zambia.

But as Behr notes, “This might turn out to be a two-edged sword. According to the study, 90% of the significant corporations in the three nations that experienced a successful cyberattack were Kenyan companies. Businesses in Africa can no longer rely on old technologies and procedures since more sophisticated techniques like Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) are becoming more common. It is time for them to invest in a partner who offers protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, quick reaction, threat intelligence and prevention, compliance, and enhanced brand reputation, all of which are tailored to meet the unique needs of enterprises.

Cybercriminals most frequently utilised email assaults using phishing or spam (61%), followed by attacks using compromised passwords (48%), data breaches and attacks (44%), which were the second and third most popular methods. Furthermore, according to 61% of the businesses surveyed, remote or hybrid working contributed to the operational breaches.

The report’s most alarming finding is that there is a shortage of qualified cyber security specialists in Africa of 100,000 people or more. There are just 7,000 qualified cyber security specialists, or one for every 177,000 people on the continent, according to reports. As there is no freely available information on the amount of investment made by African countries in cyber security, this estimate may actually understate the true scope of the issue.

The research highlights the growing requirement for businesses to make investments in cyber security measures in order to prevent brand damage, monetary loss, and significant business interruptions. It also highlights how crucial it is for businesses to work in tandem with reliable outside Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) to adopt and improve their cyber security policies.

The report provider, Liquid C2, is a subsidiary of the pan-African technology company Cassava Technologies, and was established to provide customers in 22 African nations with managed cloud and security services, product solutions, related professional services, and advisory services. The company has the largest Azure Stack deployment in Africa across four nations and has established the only African Cyber Security Fusion Centres in Kenya and South Africa, with plans to open four more in 2023. Microsoft chose Liquid C2 to be one of its Operator Connect launch partners in six different nations. A finalist for Microsoft Partner of the Year in 2021 and 2022, Liquid C2 was also named Microsoft Partner of the Year in Ethiopia in 2022.