Tech

South African govt becomes major target of cyber attacks

Published

12 months ago

May 8, 2023

Findings from the recently conducted Q1 2023 Trellix Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing have shown that the South African government is the favourite target of cyber attacks.

The findings released on Tuesday show that data from the government is attacked within 52 seconds of going live, with less focus on the private sector.

The data, measured and recorded by Trellix’s Advanced Research Center (ARC) team and Cyber Threat Management engineers, also showed that global threat actors had not relented on their assault on South Africa systems, even in the early months of the year.

“Even more alarming, government has emerged as attracting more than a third of all attacks, with the education sector a distant second, followed by financial services, utilities, wholesale, media, consumer products, and the services sector,” Carlo Bolzonello, country manager for Trellix South Africa, said in the report.

“The data accounts for all files, both malicious and innocuous measured on the firm’s extended detection and response (XDR) platform, which is integrated with multiple existing security systems to provide a holistic, yet simpler view of threats across the entire technology landscape.

“With the threat landscape constantly changing, and threat actors adapting their tactics daily, organisations both large and small must also adapt their cybersecurity strategies to keep in step with the increasingly automated, smart tools deployed by threat actors from inside and outside the country’s borders.

“What we do know is that although it may be growing at a very slow pace, the South African economy is quickly adopting more advanced technology across commerce, service delivery and communication”.

Related Topics:Cyber Attacks Featured government South Africa

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Tech

RepAir, Cella partner to launch carbon capture in Kenya

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global Direct Air Capture (DAC) firm, RepAir, has entered into a partnership with carbon storage technology company, Cella, to launch a first-of-its-kind innovative Carbon Capture and Storage venture in Kenya.

In a statement on its website on Friday, RepAir said the venture will see a replication of its “cultivating partnerships” with storage firms in Europe, U.S. and Africa.

“This storage agreement will streamline the sale of high-quality carbon credits to off-takers, enabling corporations to meet evolving ESG standards, manage offsets and advance towards net zero goals,” the statement issued by RePAir CEO, Amir Amir Shiner, stated.

“Our solution sets a new standard, requiring only 600 kWh per ton of CO2 captured, marking the lowest energy consumption on the market.

“This agreement is perfectly aligned with the launch of our commercial demonstrator in 2025, empowering RepAir to offer high-quality carbon credits to our customers.

“It will see to the establishment of a storage partnership with Cella aimed at creating dedicated value chains for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground through in-situ mineralization.

Corey Pattison, CEO, Cella, who also issued a statement on the partnership, said “by partnering with Cella at our first demonstration site, RepAir can capitalize on two critical resources: the potential for truly permanent, highly verifiable carbon storage via mineralization combined with Kenya’s abundant renewable energy sources.

“Together these resources provide a comprehensive solution for capturing and storing CO2 for off-takers. This collaboration represents an extraordinary opportunity to nurture mutual growth.”

Tech

Intel Liftoff Hackathon 2024 calls for applications from African AI startups

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Applications for the 2024 cohort of Intel Liftoff Hackathon has opened for African AI startups designed to bring together aspiring tech entrepreneurs, software developers, and AI enthusiasts to collaborate, innovate, and create solutions to concrete African challenges.

In its second edition, the hackathon welcomes pioneering early-stage AI startup teams from the African continent, delving into experiments with LLM technology, a statement on the website of the organiser stated.

It added that the Intel Liftoff Hackathon for African AI Startups, which will be held online on May 27-31, is themed “Hack and Connect”, and will take place in partnership with Modus Africa, University Mohamed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

Other partners include TUT Hub of Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, Prosper Africa, UM6P Ventures, FAST Accelerator, Innov8 Technology Hubs, and Open Startups International.

“The hackathon will feature hands-on workshops that will allow learning of AI essentials; three days of challenges with mentors to test skills; exhibition opportunities to showcase startups and forge partnerships with industry leaders; and networking opportunities to engage with fellow startups and gain insights from domain experts in the AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

“Winners will be invited to join the Intel Liftoff for Startups programme, and receive unique mentoring sessions with ecosystem partners and marketing opportunities with blog articles,” it concluded.