The 2019 Africa Cyebrsecurity Forecast

THE 2019 CYBERSECURITY FORECAST

As cryptojacking, supply chain attacks, and mobile malware raise the innovation bar in the threat landscape: there are foreseeable drivers of significant change in cybersecurity practices for the coming year.

It is Going to Be Very Cloudy

In a recent report, Gartner shows that the cloud market is projected to reach a staggering $206 billion in 2019, from $175 billion in 2018 and $145 billion in 2017. It’s the simplicity and flexibility that will make cloud services more popular and their adoption to keep growing significantly.

With the cloud being embraced at unprecedented rates, organizations will have to manage more and more applications and data in the cloud, turning system administrator jobs into real time-consuming and repetitive tasks. Companies of all sizes will be looking to manage their cloud architecture with tools that can automate different processes. Automation will simplify cloud administrators’ jobs by saving costs and time and eliminating manual processes such as sizing, provisioning or backup jobs.

Although cloud computing helps simplify a few areas of security and digital transformation, it also presents newfound challenges such as backup and disaster recovery (DR). Going forward, enterprises must ultimately have the processes, technology and – most importantly – people in place to keep systems adequately secured.

Data Protection Legislation Gaining Ground in Africa

In Africa, the number of data protection laws are increasing. More cooperation with cybersecurity initiatives, the move towards formalising data protection frameworks will continue to increase. Many countries including Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have taken the plunge, and others in the region will soon follow as they wake up to the urgency of national security and data protection for their citizens.

As digital maturity varies across the continent, the framework for these countries to roll out their own version of GDPR could take some time to develop, and the path ahead is not straightforward. However, 2019 could be the year many countries take the first steps towards protecting their citizens’ data.

It may take several years before a similar region-wide framework emerges in Africa, but businesses can use the European GDPR’s policies as a framework to start minimising unnecessary personal data collection, which could help minimise risks and exposure in the process.

The Weakest Link: Supply Chain

Digital technology has helped break down barriers to globalization and sharing of data and networks have empowered organisations to embrace new efficiencies through connectivity and analytics. However, there is a downside as vulnerabilities of sensitive data being exposed to opportunistic attackers who prey on weaknesses in existing security in the supply chain. These cybersecurity risks have become more apparent in the vertical industries and will be nearly impossible to avoid as the global supply chain becomes increasingly complex.

To reduce this kind of risk firstly, identify what information is being shared with which vendors to understand who has access to your data. Next, develop a policy that your vendors must adhere to in order to access and protect your data and determine what cyber insurance policies vendors have in place should an issue arise. Then, set up an ongoing real-time monitoring tool which can flag problems experienced by particular vendors, such as active malware or bots coming from their networks.

CSOs will need to conduct deeper assessments of their current vendor relationships and look carefully at traffic within the network (especially third parties) to ensure sensitive information is kept separate and secure. Critical infrastructures and applications must always be up to date.

Nasty Attachments on Business Emails

In Africa, the number of data protection laws are increasing. More cooperation with cybersecurity initiatives, the move towards formalising data protection frameworks will continue to increase. Many countries including Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have taken the plunge, and others in the region will soon follow as they wake up to the urgency of national security and data protection for their citizens.

As digital maturity varies across the continent, the framework for these countries to roll out their own version of GDPR could take some time to develop, and the path ahead is not straightforward. However, 2019 could be the year many countries take the first steps towards protecting their citizens’ data.

It may take several years before a similar region-wide framework emerges in Africa, but businesses can use the European GDPR’s policies as a framework to start minimising unnecessary personal data collection, which could help minimise risks and exposure in the process.

Article by Frampol Africa