The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) is conducting a cyber security awareness campaign to improve the public service's resilience against cyber threats and to educate public servants about online safety as part of its 2025-2030 strategic plan, which emphasises building a capable, ethical and developmental state. This initiative aims at making cyber security a shared responsibility within the public service and ensure the protection of government information and systems.

Ms Tsakani Dumezulu, Director for the Government Information Technology Office (GITO), at the DBE indicated that, “the Internet is a useful tool and greatly assists with research, benchmarking and communication; however, as the geographically dispersed network accessed by many people, the Internet is also a means for unethical individuals to steal or compromise confidential information”.

The 2024 data security breach statistics indicate the most common method of attack used by cyber criminals targeting companies is email phishing (61%), followed by attacks through compromised passwords (48%) and data breaches (44%). Furthermore, 61% of the companies included in the study said the breaches occurred as a result of remote or hybrid working. Just under half of all South Africans polled said they still use the remote working model to conduct business.

Local companies claim to have implemented more cyber security controls, however, hackers are still successfully gaining access to valuable data and sensitive information. The financial impact of these cyber security breaches remains the highest for South Africa.

Cyber threats are evolving faster than many of the security systems, so companies cannot afford to relax. Enterprises need to remain vigilant and update their cyber security systems as often as possible.

Businesses bear significant financial costs as a result of security breaches. The direct costs of remediation can be exorbitant, including forensic investigations, system repairs and legal fees. Furthermore, noncompliance with data protection regulations can result in significant fines.

The financial impact of security breaches, however, goes beyond these direct costs. Customer trust can be severely impacted, which causes reputational damage, lost business and revenue. Rebuilding a tarnished brand image frequently requires significant marketing and public relations investments. Furthermore, businesses may be required to compensate affected customers, which adds to the financial strain.

Information security is everybody’s responsibility!