South Africa, known to be 'the world's most internet-addicted country,' finds itself plagued by the internet's dark underbelly: ransomware.
It is the most targeted nation in Africa for these cyber-attacks and places eighth globally, according to the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Despite its digital dependency, the country’s cyber strategy is still critically underfunded, and the government lacks a clear position in cyber governance debates, Joe Devanny and Russell Buchan, two researchers at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, have argued in new analysis.
The pair have urged the South African government to prioritize cybersecurity and adopt stronger cyber leadership on the global stage.
South Africa’s Cyber Strategy Remains Under-Funded
With 9.5 hours a day spent online in 2022, South Africans are the most connected people in the world.
In 2023, the country was also the most targeted by ransomware and business email compromise (BEC) incidents in Africa, according to internet provider Seacom.
A 2023 briefing by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research reported that the Rainbow Nation was the eighth most targeted country worldwide for ransomware.
The country has made some efforts to thwart these threats. South Africa’s national cyber strategy was introduced with the 2015 Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill.
This law created significant government entities to fight against cyber threats, including the military Cyber Command and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services’ Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT).
The National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (NCPF) was also introduced in 2015.
In 2020, cybersecurity was mentioned as a “central national priority” in the Department of Defence Strategic Plan for 2020–2025.
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