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Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Getting Back to Basics

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Cybersecurity

Companies need to reinforce the foundational elements of security risk

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 18, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Cybersecurity is everyone’s problem. It is the problem of the beleaguered Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), of the CEO and the manager. And of every employee at every level of the organisation from the person serving the tea to the woman leading the team. Cybercrime is perpetuated by cybercriminals who are determined to get into the business, steal the data, take control and make as much money as possible, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to meet every one of these key performance indicators (KPIs). As Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA (https://www.KnowBe4.com) says, protection of the business, its resources and its people is reliant on everyone understanding the basics and knowing how to apply them.

“There will always be a need to ensure that the organisation has exactly the right levels of security technology, policy and processes in place,” she says, “But there also has to be the right levels of training and security understanding within the workforce to back up the security technology investment. Companies are still not paying enough attention to the one security vulnerability that is always open to attack, quick to make mistakes, and can accidentally leave the digital door wide open – people.”

Getting back to basics means putting security training in front of employees constantly and consistently. It means reinforcing the messaging over and over again, teaching people about the risks – both new and old – and then testing their knowledge to ensure they really have understood the threats and how to avoid them. This strategic approach of repeat, learn and test is a proven way of ensuring that people are given the basic foundations they need to stay security aware and prepared. 

Another method that has proven invaluable when it comes to shifting patterns and enforcing behaviours is the Fogg Behavior model (https://BehaviorModel.org/) developed by the founder of the Stanford Behavior Design Lab, BJ Fogg. His model suggests that there are three elements that have to be present to ensure that a specific behaviour occurs – motivation, ability and prompts. What this suggests, is that security training should be implemented alongside smart behavioural change motivations to ensure that the security lessons learned directly influence behaviour.

The problem is that people are busy and stressed at work, so they often ignore the training or see it as an interruption of their day

“The problem is that people are busy and stressed at work, so they often ignore the training or see it as an interruption of their day,” says Collard. “They also are more likely to make a mistake by clicking on a link or falling for a phishing email if they are tired and distracted. This means that security awareness training has to be cultivated properly. It has to be clean, simple to understand and accessible to users.”

In addition to ensuring that the training is more engaging so people embrace it and engage with it, companies need to reinforce the foundational elements of security risk. This means reminding them that they are as much at risk as the business – phishing and hacking are not the exclusive remit of the organisation and can have long-term personal and professional repercussions for individuals – and giving them a cheat sheet that highlights the most common risks at a glance. Make sure that people know how popular phishing has become for cybercriminals – Deloitte (https://bit.ly/3EPtz2l) found that 91% of all cyber attacks start with a phishing email – and how a successful attack can bring the business to its knees. Then reinforce this message, repeat it, and maintain the training.

“The basics are not just: do not click, do not respond emotively, check the URL, do not download,” concludes Collard. “They are also centred around the importance of the human firewall in protecting the business, the impact of an attack on the company’s reputation and compliance, the risk of personal loss and fraud, and the shared responsibility of ensuring that security should be everyone’s problem and priority.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KnowBe4.

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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October 4, 2024

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The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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October 4, 2024

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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October 4, 2024

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Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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