{"id":266896,"date":"2025-12-01T03:30:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/?p=266896"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:06:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T13:06:03","slug":"the-r44-2m-click-why-human-error-is-south-africas-biggest-cyber-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/builder\/the-r44-2m-click-why-human-error-is-south-africas-biggest-cyber-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"The R44.2m click: why human error is South Africa\u2019s biggest cyber threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>\n

Cyber-attacks are getting smarter, faster, and more <\/span>personal<\/span>, and even the best security technology can\u2019t stop them if people keep clicking on the wrong links.<\/p>\n

Craig Freer, director of managed services provider Qwerti, says businesses are fighting a new kind of battle, one that no longer targets servers and firewalls but the people behind the screens.<\/p>\n

\u201cCybercriminals have shifted the attack vector to your employees, not your systems,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve realised humans are the easiest way in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phishing remains the number one threat, and it\u2019s getting harder to spot. Attackers build convincing profiles of staff from social media and other online data. \u201cThey might know you play golf or follow a certain news site,\u201d Freer says. \u201cThen they send a fake breaking-news link or a spoofed email from a supplier. All it takes is one click.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around <\/span>88% of all cyberattacks <\/span>are <\/span>directly or indirectly linked to human error. <\/span>In South Africa, data breach costs are typically around <\/span>R44,2 million per incident. IBM\u2019s <\/span>2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report <\/span>found the global average cost of a breach is  $4.88 million.<\/p>\n

And the tactics are evolving. Business Email Compromise (BEC), a type of cybercrime where attackers gain access to or impersonate legitimate business email accounts to trick victims into transferring money or sensitive data, is one of the most financially damaging forms of cyber-attack. It caused reported losses of more than <\/span>US $2.77 billion <\/span>in 2024, according to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Report.<\/p>\n

Modern security stacks include everything from antivirus to endpoint detection and response (EDR), email scanning, and multifactor authentication. Yet Freer says all that technology can still fail if one employee clicks a malicious link or opens a dangerous attachment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity systems are getting stronger, but criminals are adapting faster,\u201d he explains. \u201cTechnology can detect, filter, and monitor, but it can\u2019t stop human curiosity or carelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attackers are also using AI to make phishing attempts more believable, from deepfake voices to hyper-personalised messages. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer the obvious fake emails,\u201d Freer says. \u201cThese are messages that sound and look legitimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most effective defence, Freer says, is to make employees an active part of the protection system through ongoing awareness and testing. Many organisations achieve this by running simulated phishing campaigns \u2013 fake scam emails that test how staff respond to potential threats. \u201cIf someone clicks the link, they\u2019re immediately enrolled in cybersecurity training,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis approach has proven effective in improving awareness, identifying vulnerable users, reducing breach risk, and building a lasting culture of vigilance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organisations that conduct regular phishing simulations and follow up with targeted education see <\/span>significantly lower breach rates <\/span>and faster incident response.<\/p>\n

Freer adds that human firewall training needs to be reinforced by HR policies and culture. \u201cCyber awareness should be in the employee handbook. Everyone needs to know it\u2019s part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freer warns of the lasting damage to businesses that don\u2019t pay attention to human error. \u201cImagine half your customers pay their invoices into a fraudster\u2019s bank account. What happens to your business?\u201d<\/p>\n

The long-term fallout from a breach can be devastating, not just in money lost, but in reputation and customer trust. \u201cIn South Africa, phishing is one of the top cyber threats, and it can take months for companies to identify and contain a breach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freer notes that effective cybersecurity today depends on continuous vigilance and education, not one-off solutions. Managed security teams play a vital role by monitoring systems for threats, addressing vulnerabilities as they emerge, and keeping employees informed and alert. When a single careless click can cost millions, cultivating a strong human firewall has become essential to business resilience.<\/p>\n

PERSONAL FINANCE<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cyber-attacks are getting smarter, faster, and more\u00a0personal, and even the best security technology can\u2019t stop them if people keep clicking on the wrong links.Craig Freer, director of managed services provider Qwerti, says businesses are fighting a new kind of battle, one that no longer targets servers and firewalls but the people behind the screens.\u201cCybercriminals have shifted the attack vector to your employees, not your systems,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve realised humans are the easiest way in.\u201dPhishing remains the number one threat, and it\u2019s getting harder to spot. Attackers build convincing profiles of staff from social media and other online data. \u201cThey might know you play golf or follow a certain news site,\u201d Freer says. \u201cThen they send a fake breaking-news link or a spoofed email from a supplier. All it takes is one click.\u201dAround\u00a088% of all cyberattacks\u00a0are\u00a0directly or indirectly linked to human error.\u00a0In South Africa, data breach costs are typically around\u00a0R44,2 million per incident. IBM\u2019s\u00a02024 Cost of a Data Breach Report\u00a0found the global average cost of a breach is\u00a0 $4.88 million.And the tactics are evolving. Business Email Compromise (BEC), a type of cybercrime where attackers gain access to or impersonate legitimate business email accounts to trick victims into transferring money or sensitive data, is one of the most financially damaging forms of cyber-attack. It caused reported losses of more than\u00a0US $2.77 billion\u00a0in 2024, according to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Report.Modern security stacks include everything from antivirus to endpoint detection and response (EDR), email scanning, and multifactor authentication. Yet Freer says all that technology can still fail if one employee clicks a malicious link or opens a dangerous attachment.\u201cSecurity systems are getting stronger, but criminals are adapting faster,\u201d he explains. \u201cTechnology can detect, filter, and monitor, but it can\u2019t stop human curiosity or carelessness.\u201dAttackers are also using AI to make phishing attempts more believable, from deepfake voices to hyper-personalised messages. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer the obvious fake emails,\u201d Freer says. \u201cThese are messages that sound and look legitimate.\u201dThe most effective defence, Freer says, is to make employees an active part of the protection system through ongoing awareness and testing. Many organisations achieve this by running simulated phishing campaigns \u2013 fake scam emails that test how staff respond to potential threats. \u201cIf someone clicks the link, they\u2019re immediately enrolled in cybersecurity training,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis approach has proven effective in improving awareness, identifying vulnerable users, reducing breach risk, and building a lasting culture of vigilance.\u201dOrganisations that conduct regular phishing simulations and follow up with targeted education see\u00a0significantly lower breach rates\u00a0and faster incident response.Freer adds that human firewall training needs to be reinforced by HR policies and culture. \u201cCyber awareness should be in the employee handbook. Everyone needs to know it\u2019s part of the job.\u201dFreer warns of the lasting damage to businesses that don\u2019t pay attention to human error. \u201cImagine half your customers pay their invoices into a fraudster\u2019s bank account. What happens to your business?\u201dThe long-term fallout from a breach can be devastating, not just in money lost, but in reputation and customer trust. \u201cIn South Africa, phishing is one of the top cyber threats, and it can take months for companies to identify and contain a breach.\u201dFreer notes that effective cybersecurity today depends on continuous vigilance and education, not one-off solutions. Managed security teams play a vital role by monitoring systems for threats, addressing vulnerabilities as they emerge, and keeping employees informed and alert. When a single careless click can cost millions, cultivating a strong human firewall has become essential to business resilience.PERSONAL FINANCE<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-builder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266896"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266897,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266896\/revisions\/266897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}