07 Mar Africa needs to strengthen cybersecurity defences

Cybersecurity defences in energy and mining need to be strengthened in Africa, according to Kaspersky.

The company notes that many traditional cybersecurity solutions focus on data-orientated businesses, while ICS protection is targeted more towards OT security and cyber-physical companies.

During the course of 2022, 40% of global industrial control system computers experienced a malware attack. But in Africa, the figure stands at an average of 47%.

Broken down, the three countries to experience the most attacks on ICS infrastructure were: Ethiopia (62%), Algeria (59%) and Burundi (57%).

With the ever-increasing threat landscape it’s vital that critical infrastructure like energy and mining are protected.

“One infected USB drive or a single spear-phishing email is all it takes for cyber criminals to bridge the air gap and penetrate an isolated ICS network,” said Brandon Muller, Kaspersky Tech Expert and Consultant in African and Middle East region.

“Traditional security is not adequate to protect industrial environments from rapidly evolving cyber threats. As attacks against critical infrastructure increase, choosing the right approach to secure systems has never been more important,” he added.