During the seventh Cyber Security Awareness Week – 14-18 October 2024, the University staff received messages, warnings and requests from several information technology professionals, all appealing to them to learn more about the cyber-criminal behaviour and take the required actions to protect the University network. Njabulo Xaba, IT Security and Governance in the Department of Information Technology and Networks (IT&N), said they would like staff to be aware of the online threats. One of the threats is that if MUT information is compromised in any way, there will be brand reputational damage, which could be very costly. “We are appealing to staff to work with IT&N by complying with guidelines that the department gives throughout the year, not only in October,” said Xaba.
One of the professionals who made presentations on 16 October 2024 was Rajan Govender from Huawei. Govender said, “Data is the crown jewel – we protect data in the cloud. But we cannot protect MUT when MUT does not protect itself.” This was a direct appeal to staff members who are connected online daily.
A word cloud was formed using keywords that staff need to heed. Those words were: Don’t click on links. Be careful with emails from new people you have never heard from. South Africa is a good target for ransomware. Phishing. Make sure you have the necessary technology in place. Don’t panic if you receive an email followed by a demand to pay for the data that is now withheld. What do you do if you are threatened by someone you don’t know? Update your software. Have controls in place. Limit the usage. Limit data access. Lock your computer when you are not using it. Set up the automatic lock—multi-factor authentication. Clean desk policy. Password. Free wi-fi. Mobile device. VPN. Have multiple protection layers. Be safe. Seek help. Be cautious. Make sure your security is up to date. When constructing a new password, avoid common names, like dog and children names. Have a strong password. Have a password manager. Back up your data. IoT (Internet of Things) is very vulnerable; criminals can use these to get to you. You need to protect these. Avoid public wi-fi. Do not share your password.
All the above, and more, were what staff needed to do, and did not have to do, to keep the university network safe. Floyd Naidoo, another Huawei representative, said the cyber threat was constantly evolving, but the behaviour of the users was not. “We are here to show you how you can protect your company. Criminals are looking for data. Most threats are meant to acquire personal information for future use,” said Govender. Govender said that the number of ransomware cases had increased in the last few years. “Criminals can cripple the whole country. We need to act against these types of attacks,” he said. It is the hackers who commit these crimes. Naidoo called them “middlemen” and added that they sometimes use eves dropping to steal information. He said Huawei could deal with that, but staff needed to take the required steps to protect the University network and their own devices.
Staff showed interest in the presentations, not only because they were after the prizes, but because they were concerned about the vulnerability of the network and the need to play their role in protecting it. Dr Nthabiseng Mosala-Bryant, Senior Director, Library Services, asked about fake emails.
The information technology companies that made presentations throughout the week were Askaris, Mimecast, Simply IT, Itec Tiyende, Khipu Networks, Huawei and First Technology Group.