FEATURE : CYBERCRIME

About 236.1 million ransomware attacks occurred globally in the first half of 2022 . As organisations focus on mitigating cyberattacks and reducing risks , very little is said about the effects of cybercrimes on the victims . Victims often experience a wide range of emotions and negative psychological experiences including guilt , shame , helplessness , emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress or sleep problems . In this article , Ian Lauth , Senior Technical Marketing Manager , F5 , talks to Intelligent CIO Africa about the cost of cybercrime to emotional wellbeing and what both individuals and organisations can do in the phase of an attack .

don ’ t give a damn about my reputation .” These were the opening lines on the song Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts , a rock group that made classical hits long before the arrival of modern Internet age .

Joan and the Blackhearts made music at a time when counterculture was subversive , cool and edgy . Today , counterculture is mainstream and online reputation is prominent . Digital personas can be deliberately curated , highly visible and tightly managed as we ’ re seemingly wedded to the devices in our pockets . The results can be devastating when bad actors take advantage , accounts get compromised and credential stuffing occurs .

Panic , embarrassment and shame are the real feelings resulting from things that happen in our digital world . This is specifically true in the case of social media account takeovers which has been named ‘ Account Takeover Epidemic ’ by the Identity Theft Resource Centre ( ITRC ).

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