The global punting of SA for the World Cup 2010, although creating positive awareness for the event, is also causing the country to be noticed by hackers.
Brett Myroff, CEO of local Sophos distributor Netxactics, stresses the time for South Africans to exercise extreme caution is now. He says, as indicated by recent bank attacks, SA could be coming onto the international radar.
"The marketing of SA globally as a result of the World Cup is putting the country in the public eye, and making it an international hacker target," he explains.
The release of the latest Sophos Security Threat Management Report Update shows the evolving trends in the Internet security arena. "Although the report is international, we find worldwide trends which affect SA in the same way," Myroff explains.
According to the report, there has been a drop in the number of new viruses and worms being written, but other types of malware, like spyware, Trojan horses and phishing has increased.
"We are appealing to home users specifically, because they are not as vigilant as corporations and this makes them a soft target," he says.
Myroff advises home users to run an anti-virus solution, and have it frequently updated. "I know with dial-up, updating can take forever. But this should not be seen as a deterrent," he cautions.
The full security threat report can be downloaded here.
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