Saturday, July 27

Tech & Business

Cybersecurity Recovery Costs
  • Cybersecurity recovery costs post a staggering increase in recovery costs for the Energy and Water sectors.
  • The report also reveals that nearly 49 per cent of ransomware attacks on these sectors began with an exploited vulnerability
  • The Energy and Water sectors also reported a high rate of ransomware attacks

The water and energy sector have been the worst hit with the rise in cybercrime recovery costs according to a new report by Cybersecurity firm Sophos. Titled “The State of Ransomware in Critical Infrastructure 2024,” the survey shows a staggering increase in recovery costs for the Energy and Water sectors.

Experts from Sophos say that the median recovery costs for these critical infrastructure sectors have quadrupled to $3 million (Sh390 million) over the past year, significantly higher than the global cross-sector median. The report also reveals that nearly 49 per cent of ransomware attacks on these sectors began with an …

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digital fraud attempts
  • Only 8 per cent increased awareness, consumer concern regarding sharing personal information remained significant at 91 per cent in Q2 2023, albeit down from 94 per cent last year.
  • The study shows that there has been an accelerating rate of digital fraud in other sectors of the country, such as retail, financial services, telecommunications, travel & leisure, and communities

Digital fraud attempts are on the rise in the country with 80 per cent of Kenyan having been targeted in the first three months of year, a new TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Survey has shown.

From the findings a notable 72 per cent of respondents who reported being targeted by digital fraud schemes successfully avoided falling victim. However, an additional 8 per cent were targeted and fell victim to these schemes.

The awareness of fraudulent schemes was significantly high; only 20 per cent of consumers reported being unaware of any fraud schemes

NALA raises 40 million dollars
  • NALA raises 40 million dollars to fuel international expansion and launch its own payment rails for Africa and beyond.
  • The US fintech building global payments for emerging markets. 
  • $40million Series A for NALA, the fintech that took Africa’s payment problems personally. 

NALA raises 40 million dollars to build cross-border payments for emerging markets. NALA, one of Africa’s largest fintech companies, has announced the Series funding to support its global expansion and enhance the reliability of payments to Africa by developing its own payment rails.

The past 12 months have been transformative for NALA. The company achieved a 10x increase in revenue, reached profitability, and had positive cash flow.

In the past 20 months, NALA saw a 34x increase in transaction volume. The NALA team has grown from just 7 members to a robust team of over 100. Finally, today, NALA proudly serves 500,000 customers.

The $40 million funding round …

AIM Congress Abu Dhabi
  • Russian Investment Forum at AIM Congress 2024 highlighted Russia’s robust economic standing.
  • Various Russian regions showcased unique investment opportunities, from the Far East’s oil and gas sector to Tatarstan’s diverse industries.
  • Discussions also revolved around innovation and technology, with an emphasis on Abu Dhabi’s potential as a global technology hub.

Amidst the grandeur of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the Russian Investment Forum emerged as a unique centre of opportunities during the 2024 AIM Congress.

Under the International Partners’ Track, this forum brought together luminaries from Russia’s business landscape to showcase the nation’s unique investment propositions and affirm Abu Dhabi’s suitability as a global technology hub.

Spearheading the discussions was Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Katyrin painted a picture of Russia’s robust economic stature, ranking first in Europe and fifth globally in terms of GDP.

He cited Russia’s …

LB Investment
  • The Joint Venture will serve to boost global investment and economic development by synergistically combining both parties’ key capacities in the market.
  • Both entities aim to leverage their respective strengths to advance LB Investment’s initiatives.
  • Established in 1996, LB Investment has consistently been recognized as one of Korea’s premier fund managers.

AIM Global Foundation, an independent international organization dedicated to empowering investments across the world, and Korea-based LB Investment, which has $1 billion Assets Under Management (AUM), have announced the set-up of a Joint Venture, along with a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the ongoing AIM Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi.

The Joint Venture will serve to boost global investment and economic development by synergistically combining both parties’ key capacities in the market.

The MOU marks a critical moment in global investment cooperation. Both entities aim to leverage their respective strengths to advance LB Investment’s initiatives through the platform …

RANSOMWARE PAY
  • Payment for ransomware attacks is not only impacting large businesses even smaller ones have been hit with 7-figure demand.
  • The rate of ransomware attacks falls slightly, but recovery costs hit $2.73 million.
  • Despite the soaring ransoms, this year’s survey indicates a slight reduction in the rate of ransomware attacks

The amount organisations are paying to get back their data from cyber criminals has increased by 500 per cent in the past year, a new report by Cybersecurity solutions provider Sophos has revealed.

 

Sophos, in its annual “State of Ransomware 2024” survey, says this has seen organizations that paid the ransom report an average payment of $2 million, up from $400,000 in 2023, with ransoms being just one part of the cost.

 

Excluding ransoms, the survey found the average cost of recovery reached $2.73 million, an increase of almost $1 million since the $1.82 million that Sophos reported in 2023.

TikTok community guidelines
  • TikTok Community Guidelines will see introduction of stricter For You eligibility standards.
  • Video sharing entity says this code emphasizes responsible behavior on and off the platform
  • According to the recently released Reuters Institute Digital News report 2023 survey, Kenya leads in world TikTok usage.

Popular video sharing platform TikTok, has unveiled significant updates to its Community Guidelines and introduced new features aimed at supporting creators and maintaining a safe environment for users. The platform’s Community Guidelines, which outline rules and standards for all users, have been updated to provide greater clarity and transparency.

These updates, set to take effect in a few weeks, include refined definitions for policies on hate speech and health misinformation. Additionally, TikTok has detailed how it moderates features like Search, LIVE, and the For You feed to ensure a positive user experience.

One of the key updates is the introduction of stricter For You eligibility standards. …

digital economy Internet access
  • Market size of Africa’s digital economy could reach $712 billion by 2050.
  • In 2022 only 36 percent of the African population had access to broadband internet.
  • Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are streamlining adoption of 5G services.

Africa is on the verge of an economic revolution. From the north to the southern part of the Saharan desert, nations are striving to eliminate poverty and gain a strong foothold in global markets.

In the same vein, the continent is banking on the potential held by the digital economy. Reports ping the sector to higher standards, including a report from non-profit Endeavor predicting that the market size of Africa’s digital economy could reach $712 billion by 2050.

The growth is propelled by the massive engagement of the continent’s younger population, rising smartphone adoption and increasing internet penetration.

Read also: World Bank backs Smart Africa’s Digital Academy with $20M grant

Digital economy in

Starlink kit
  • Starlink, has introduced a significant price reduction of 55.6% for its installation hardware kit in the Kenyan market.
  • This promotional offer is valid until May 15, providing Kenyans the opportunity to purchase the hardware equipment at $292.36 (KSh39,500), a substantial discount from the usual asking price of $658.04 (KSh89,000).
  • An analysis in October 2023 highlighted Kenya and Mozambique as the top markets with the highest charges for internet installation compared to other African countries where Starlink has a presence.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm, Starlink, has introduced a significant price reduction of 55.6 percent for its installation hardware kit in the Kenyan market. This promotional offer is valid until May 15, providing Kenyans the opportunity to purchase the hardware equipment at $292.36 (KSh39,500), a substantial discount from the usual asking price of $658.04 (KSh89,000).

The promotional message displayed on the firm’s website states, “SpaceX’s Starlink kit has an offer …

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