Uitenhage doctor who teaches you how not to get phished

How can one avoid a cyber attack? Well, cybersecurity expert Dr Noluxolo Gcaza knows just how.

According to Gcaza, phishing – one of the leading types of cyberattacks – can be avoided by ensuring your smartphone software is updated, having a strong password, avoid banking using free Wi-Fi, and reading all the information before installing a new App on your phone.

With people so dependent on connecting with others through the internet, she said everyone was bound to fall victim to at least one cyberattack in their lifetime.

Gcaza, who holds a PhD in information technology from Nelson Mandela University, is travelling the world to teach individuals and organisations how to protect themselves from cybercriminals.

“Cybersecurity attacks do not discriminate,” she said.

“Both males and females are susceptible to attacks.

“Similarly, both small and big organisations are not immune to being compromised.

“Currently we have seen a rise in cybercrime activities targeting nation states to disrupt critical infrastructure and steal trade secrets.

“This has placed cybercrime among national priorities across the globe.”

Gcaza, from Uitenhage’s KwaNobuhle township, said everyone connected to the internet, through social media or banking Apps, was at risk of becoming a victim.

“This suggests that one may not have any social media interaction and still be a potential victim just because they have a bank account and a cybercriminal may obtain such information.

“So essentially nowadays you are your information.”

The former Molly Blackburn High School pupil said that during a phishing attack the malicious actor would pretend to be a reputable person or company requiring sensitive information from the targeted individual.

“The information could be financial, like banking details, or even account credentials.

“Once the information is obtained, it is used for various criminal activities that can have a financial or reputational impact on the victim involved.”

According to the World Economic Forum, two-billion data records were compromised in 2017, and more than 4.5-billion records were breached in the first half of 2018 alone.

The economic forum also noted an increase in remote attacks.

One of the main types of remote-access attacks in 2018 was cryptojacking, which targeted cryptocurrency owners.

Another popular type of attack threatened perimeter devices.

Gcaza said her focus was on using awareness and education as a means to equip people to instil secure habits when interacting with online services.

She joined the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as a cybersecurity researcher in 2011.

There she led cybersecurity governance, which included conducting cybersecurity risk assessments, gap analysis, policy development and cybersecurity strategy formulation for both national and international entities.

Gcaza joined Tshwane University of Technology in July as a computer science lecturer and researcher.