CYBER CRIME & CYBER SECURITY TRENDS IN AFRICA THE MOST IMPORTANT TRENDS Africa is a continent on the rise. It is growing quickly in terms of population, the economy, and global influence. Today, Africa is home to 1.21 billion people (up from just 800 million in 2000), with a median age of just 19.5 years, the youngest population in the world.1 With this prominence of youth comes a diverse population that is looking for productive employment, social engagement, free expression, and increased global connectivity. While the downturn in world commodity prices has hit African economies hard, nearly every African nation is poised to grow over the coming years. Some will continue on a trajectory putting them among the fastest growing economies in the world. Technology adoption continues to rise as well, with mobile device ownership growing exponentially, social media use increasing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) quickly becoming a reality. Even the most conservative metrics show that Africa is poised to make great gains and help fuel global growth into the future. Along with this rapid economic growth, comes a burgeoning e-commerce industry that is poised to expand to an estimated $75 billion USD by the year 2025.2 With this growing prosperity and digitization however comes new risks and vulnerabilities that could undermine progress. Chief among these is the global rise of cyber crime. As the African Continent’s economy moves online, citizens, their computer systems, and the Continent’s information technology (IT) infrastructure become enticing targets for an increasingly professional cadre of cyber criminals. The growth of cyber crime is by no means just an African problem. In fact, in 2013, the total global direct cost of cyber crime reached an estimated $113 billion USD. In South Africa alone, 67% of adults reported experiencing cyber crime in the last year, which is estimated to have cost the South African economy $242 million USD. On average, cyber crime cost each cyber crime victim in South Africa US $274 per year.3 In order for Africa to realize its full potential, policymakers will need to implement effective policies and awareness initiatives to stem the rising tide of cyber threats. Unfortunately, these same policymakers, technicians, and other experts have long noted the lack of detailed and reliable threat information regarding cyber crime threats in the region. Such information is invaluable in assessing and managing cyber risks by providing governments a more complete and nuanced understanding of how criminals and other actors are targeting and exploiting cyber-related vulnerabilities. 1 2 3 http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/africa-population/ http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/lions-go-digital-theinternets-transformative-potential-in-africa https://us.norton.com/cyber-security-insights-2016 7 Symantec discovered more than 430 million new unique pieces of malware globally in 2015, up 36 percent from the year before. Perhaps what is most remarkable is that these numbers no longer surprise us. As real life and online become indistinguishable from each other, cyber crime has become a part of our daily lives. Attacks against businesses and nations hit the headlines with such regularity that we’ve become numb to the sheer volume and acceleration of cyber threats. 8.8 million South Africans were victims of online crime in the past year. Globally, there were 602 million cyber crime victims over the last 12 months. Norton Cyber Security Insights Report 2016 Due to the borderless nature of cyber crime, many of the cyber security trends we see globally also are affecting Africa, including the explosion of ransomware, social media scams, and the proliferation of new malware and website vulnerabilities. However, because of how the IT infrastructure evolved in Africa, several of these cyber crime trends will become especially acute and pose a significant danger. Smartphones and The Internet of Things The world bought more than 1.4 billion smartphones in 2015, up 10 percent from the 1.3 billion units sold in the previous year, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker (January 27, 2016). Five out of six new phones were running Android and one in seven running Apple’s iOS operating system.4 One mobile manufacturer, Ericsson, predicts there could be as many as 6.4 billion smartphone subscriptions globally by the end of 2020 – almost one per person.5 Globally, the number of new vulnerabilities identified in mobile software grew a staggering 214% in 2014.6 Globally, smartphones are an increasingly attractive target for cyber criminals who are investing in more sophisticated attacks that are effective at stealing personal data or extorting money from victims. In South Africa, 47% of spartphone users have experienced mobile cyber crime in 2013.7 Mobile malware, is an especially concerning problem in Africa today and will continue to be a major threat into the future. 4 5 6 7 http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp https://www.ericsson.com/mobility-report Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 21 https://www.symantec.com/about/news/resources/press_kits/detail. jsp?pkid=norton-report-2013