Latest news with #ThreatReport
IOL News
11-05-2025
- IOL News
Why cybercrime is a bigger concern than load shedding in South Africa
After two cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert has stated that this issue is becoming a big risk, it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. Image: . Following two recent cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert stated that the issue is becoming such a big risk, that it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. ESET's recent bi-annual Threat Report stated: 'South Africa is the most targeted country in Africa when it comes to infostealer and ransomware attacks.' One notable incident involved Cell C, which reported in April that RansomHouse had unlawfully disclosed data after hacking South Africa's fourth-largest mobile operator last November. Although the exact number of compromised individuals is unclear, the operator had 7.7 million subscribers as of February. Data accessed included: Full names and contact details (email, phone numbers) ID numbers Banking details (if stored for billing purposes) Driver's License Numbers Medical Records (if supplied for closure of accounts on the death of a family member) Passport details At the end of last month, Africa's largest mobile network operator, MTN, announced a significant cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorised access to the personal information of customers across several of its markets. Spiros Fatouros, the CEO of Marsh McLennan, Africa and South Africa, said that 'these events serve as a critical reminder that cybercrime is no longer a peripheral concern but a central business risk, arguably surpassing traditional challenges like load-shedding in its potential impact'. ESET's bi-annual Threat Report, which collected data between June and November 2024, showed that over 40% of ransomware attacks on the continent occurred in South Africa. This came as INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2022 found that 230 million cyber threats were detected in South Africa in that year. Approximately 219 million, or 95.21% were email-based attacks. At that stage, South Africa was seeing a 100% increase in mobile banking application fraud and is experiencing on average 577 malware attacks every hour. Fatouros noted that there is an escalating cyber threat landscape that businesses across the globe are having to deal with. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕
Business Wire
06-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Kasada's Q1 2025 Threat Intel Report Uncovers ALTSRUS 'Reverse Robin Hood' Fraud Syndicate
NEW YORK & SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kasada, the pioneers transcending bot management by countering the human minds behind automated threats, today released its Q1 2025 Quarterly Threat Report, calling out a fraud syndicate known as ALTSRUS that has been actively stealing and selling accounts connected to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), pharmacy prescriptions, and consumer rewards programs. The group's operations have scaled significantly while profiting from those already facing financial hardship. 'While the security world often focuses on protecting high-value assets, groups like ALTSRUS remind us that no target is off-limits,' said Sam Crowther, CEO and founder of Kasada. Kasada's threat intelligence team refers to ALTSRUS as the 'Reverse Robin Hood' because of its focus on taking from those who are financially disadvantaged to fuel its own criminal enterprise. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, ALTSRUS sold more than 220,000 stolen accounts, marking a 2,852% year-over-year increase in activity. The group expanded its fraud campaigns to span 13 industries, illustrating the growing scale and adaptability of modern organized fraud. 'While the security world often focuses on protecting high-value assets, groups like ALTSRUS remind us that no target is off-limits,' said Sam Crowther, CEO and founder of Kasada. 'They're even willing to compromise access to food and critical medications to turn a profit.' Key Insights from Kasada's Q1 2025 Quarterly Threat Report Account takeover (ATO) remained the most prevalent and impactful type of automated threat throughout Q1. Criminal marketplaces hit a peak of nearly 2.5 million stolen accounts for sale, far outpacing other types of listings. Webmail services, retail, and social networks accounted for 67% of observed stolen account sales. The Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry saw a 96% spike in compromised account sales. CAPTCHA solver services are being weaponized to passively facilitate criminal activities. 'The tools used to conduct account takeover attacks are now more advanced and widely accessible,' said Nick Rieniets, Field CTO at Kasada. 'Our investigations into underground credential stuffing groups reveal the inner workings of this cybercrime ecosystem, exposing gaps in traditional defenses. Organizations need proactive threat intelligence, along with modern anti-automation detection, to strengthen authentication practices beyond just MFA.' About the Report Kasada's Q1 2025 Quarterly Threat Report is based on investigations and analysis conducted by the company's in-house research team through KasadaIQ for Fraud. The report provides an inside look at the tactics used by ALTSRUS, the latest account takeover attack trends, and the evolving criminal marketplace ecosystem. About Kasada Kasada has developed a radical approach to defeating automated cyber threats based on its unmatched understanding of the human minds behind them. The Kasada platform overcomes the shortcomings of traditional bot management to provide immediate and enduring protection for web, mobile, and API channels. Its invisible, dynamic defenses provide a seamless user experience and eliminate the need for ineffective, annoying CAPTCHAs. Our team handles the bots so clients have freedom to focus on growing their businesses, not defending it. Kasada is based in New York and Sydney, with hubs in Melbourne, Boston, San Francisco, and London. For more information, please visit and follow on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
IOL News
02-05-2025
- IOL News
Cyber-attacks pose a greater threat than load shedding in South Africa
After two cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert has stated that this issue is becoming a big risk, it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. Image: IOL Following two recent cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert stated that the issue is becoming such a big risk, that it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. ESET's recent bi-annual Threat Report stated: 'South Africa is the most targeted country in Africa when it comes to infostealer and ransomware attacks.' One notable incident involved Cell C, which reported in April that RansomHouse had unlawfully disclosed data after hacking South Africa's fourth-largest mobile operator last November. Although the exact number of compromised individuals is unclear, the operator had 7.7 million subscribers as of February. Data accessed included: Full names and contact details (email, phone numbers) ID numbers Banking details (if stored for billing purposes) Driver's License Numbers Medical Records (if supplied for closure of accounts on the death of a family member) Passport details At the end of last month, Africa's largest mobile network operator, MTN, announced a significant cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorised access to the personal information of customers across several of its markets. Spiros Fatouros, the CEO of Marsh McLennan, Africa and South Africa, said that 'these events serve as a critical reminder that cybercrime is no longer a peripheral concern but a central business risk, arguably surpassing traditional challenges like load-shedding in its potential impact'. ESET's bi-annual Threat Report, which collected data between June and November 2024, showed that over 40% of ransomware attacks on the continent occurred in South Africa. This came as INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2022 found that 230 million cyber threats were detected in South Africa in that year. Approximately 219 million, or 95.21% were email-based attacks. At that stage, South Africa was seeing a 100% increase in mobile banking application fraud and is experiencing on average 577 malware attacks every hour. Fatouros noted that there is an escalating cyber threat landscape that businesses across the globe are having to deal with. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕
IOL News
02-05-2025
- IOL News
Cyber-attacks pose a greater threat than load shedding in South Africa
After two cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert has stated that this issue is becoming a big risk, it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. Image: IOL Following two recent cyber attacks targeting mobile networks, one expert stated that the issue is becoming such a big risk, that it potentially exceeds even the impact of challenges like load shedding. ESET's recent bi-annual Threat Report stated: 'South Africa is the most targeted country in Africa when it comes to infostealer and ransomware attacks.' One notable incident involved Cell C, which reported in April that RansomHouse had unlawfully disclosed data after hacking South Africa's fourth-largest mobile operator last November. Although the exact number of compromised individuals is unclear, the operator had 7.7 million subscribers as of February. Data accessed included: Full names and contact details (email, phone numbers) ID numbers Banking details (if stored for billing purposes) Driver's License Numbers Medical Records (if supplied for closure of accounts on the death of a family member) Passport details At the end of last month, Africa's largest mobile network operator, MTN, announced a significant cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorised access to the personal information of customers across several of its markets. Spiros Fatouros, the CEO of Marsh McLennan, Africa and South Africa, said that 'these events serve as a critical reminder that cybercrime is no longer a peripheral concern but a central business risk, arguably surpassing traditional challenges like load-shedding in its potential impact'. ESET's bi-annual Threat Report, which collected data between June and November 2024, showed that over 40% of ransomware attacks on the continent occurred in South Africa. This came as INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2022 found that 230 million cyber threats were detected in South Africa in that year. Approximately 219 million, or 95.21% were email-based attacks. At that stage, South Africa was seeing a 100% increase in mobile banking application fraud and is experiencing on average 577 malware attacks every hour. Fatouros noted that there is an escalating cyber threat landscape that businesses across the globe are having to deal with. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕
