Web providers wary of European fraud threat

TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG- EASTERN European and Russian online fraudsters make up the lion’s share of the six figure hacking attempts directed at local networks every day.
This is according to South Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) which says the key to better protecting the country’s transactional consumers lies in better information sharing.
“Securing a network that can be accessed by hackers anywhere in the world is a moving target that depends on regularly updated information,” says Dominic Cull, ISPA regulatory advisor.
“Unfortunately, there is a silence amongst ISPs and large corporates in the interests of protecting reputations.
Convincing consumers and ourselves that South African ICT networks are impenetrable is counterproductive.”
In the run-up to the annual Christmas e-commerce rush, Mr Cull said ISPA was issuing a call to its members to brainstorm ways for the industry to collaborate more closely on how network security incidents could be turned into learning opportunities.
Although an industry lobbying group, ISPA was founded with a strong consumer protection mandate and strives to remind consumers that there is no such thing as a secure system.
“Consumers can have confidence in their banks, insurance firms and others, and still be vigilant about their personal information,” says Cull.