Cybersecurity crisis: SA faces invisible enemy

SOUTH AFRICA is under siege - not by guns or tanks, but by an invisible, fast-moving enemy. Cyberattacks are striking at the heart of our economy, government, and national security. As we mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, this threat demands urgent attention.

- DR SUSAN HENRICO & DR SONJA ELS

In recent years, ransomware crippled Transnet's ports, the Department of Justice was locked out of its systems, and Postbank's breach exposed millions of social-grant beneficiaries. These were not isolated incidents; they were warnings of our growing vulnerability in the digital age.

A growing, borderless threat

As South Africa's digital footprint grows, so does its risk. Our networks are among Africa's most advanced, making them attractive targets for hackers and state-sponsored groups. The result is a perfect storm: a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, outdated laws, and weak coordination between government, business, and law enforcement.

Interpol's Cyber Threat Assessment Report ranked South Africa among Africa's top targets, with over 230 million threat detections in one year. The 2021 Transnet ransomware attack halted port operations in Durban and Cape Town. Postbank's breach cost over R1 billion to fix. These incidents reveal how fragile our digital infrastructure is.

A cyberattack on one country can ripple through the global economy. The Transnet case disrupted shipping routes worldwide, proving how easily a local digital failure can spark an international crisis.

Cyberspace is now a battleground for global influence. Nations compete, spy, and sabotage each other quietly and invisibly. Cyber operations are a form of soft warfare, cheaper than missiles, harder to trace, and often just as destructive. A power outage, frozen port system, or data leak can destabilise a nation without a single shot being fired.