There’s a super malicious insider who is technically proficient and often acutely aware of an organisation’s technical limitations in proactively detecting insider threats. This is according to Dtex System’s 2022 Insider Risk Report that is based on real investigations and data collected by the Dtex Insider Intelligence and Investigations (i3) team throughout 2021.

Connected consumer and business products have begun flooding the market, but security remains an afterthought. Cybercriminals are always on the prowl to access smart devices like wireless security cameras, smart TVs, baby cameras, smart speakers, smartphones or tablets.

The plethora of connected gadgets introduced to homes over the past decade has opened new doors for cybercriminals. Every connected gadget increases the risk of being hacked and not having a firewall is the same as leaving the house door wide open.

Higher levels of security are a necessity in a connected age, where our cars, homes and money are all connected and controlled by computers and IoT devices. The stakes are also much higher now with hackers attacking not only our bank accounts, but our cars and homes too.

Consumers need to figure out how to secure these connected things.

Cybersecurity is one of those topics that has been in the media and in almost every print and online publication, even in verticals that have nothing to do with cybersecurity, for years. Today it’s one of those topics that we gloss over or perhaps don’t even see unless the headline is catchy or mentions a company we know.

Another reason for this ‘boredom’ with cybersecurity is that the so-called solutions always seem to be the same, but the breaches and problems never go away. There is always another major company losing large sums of money and millions of personal details and these are mainly in the US or EU because the law compels these companies to spill the beans. In Africa there is no telling how much of our personal information has been lost as it is only recently that companies have been required to admit a breach. At the same time, we know how important following the law is in this country and we know how law enforcement struggles to keep up.

The workforce is any organisation's greatest asset but also its biggest risk. It has never been more important to protect employees from exploitation by external attackers, while also limiting the risk that they pose as trusted insiders.

The erosion of the cyber-perimeter and accelerated shift to virtual workforce models necessitate a new approach that baselines activities and behaviours and protects employees by highlighting anomalies. More importantly, employees have the right to know that personal activities and behaviours that don't directly increase organisational risk, cause cultural conflict, or limit successful operations, remain private and anonymous.