As a result, the fight against cybercrime is lagging behind. Addressing the growing spectre of cyber crime in africa core. Both 2015 and 2017 versions of the bill give south africa jurisdiction. Our law recognises the criminal threat that exists to cyberspace. Marco gercke and is a new edition of a report previously entitled understanding cybercrime. Three most eyebrow raising cybercrimes in south africa. High cost of cybercrime in africa cause for concern 6 months ago 3 min read african businesses need to take more decisive steps to prioritise data protection and enhance enterprise security in order to mitigate cybercrime. The paper adopted the library research method as secondary data sourced fromarticles, journals. Legal development in cyber crime law in south africa. Durban south africa has the third highest number of cyber crime victims worldwide, resulting in a loss of about r2.
Cybercrime, especially through the internet, has grown in importance as the computer has become central to commerce, entertainment, and government. The continued transference of electronic waste from industrialized nations to nations in the global south is a contributor to not only health. Iclg cybersecurity laws and regulations south africa covers common issues in cybersecurity laws and regulations, including criminal activity, applicable laws, specific sectors, corporate governance, litigation, insurance, employees, and investigatory and police powers in 32 jurisdictions. Cybercrime, also called computer crime, the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Nigeria, south africa, ghana top cybercrime in africa. Introduction the 20 economic report on africa, a joint. Pdf cyber crime influencing businesses in south africa. Cybercrime accounts for losses of 1 billion rand about 64 billion dollars for south africa every year. The bill defines a wide range of cybercrimes and proposes various penalties for violations. Cyber security awareness is the first line of defense against cyberattacks. Sep 23, 20 below are three cybercrimes committed in south africa of late, which only underscore the seriousness of the situation.
This was highlighted by the recent addition of the cybercrime and cybersecurity bill. The study then used the extrapolation method to calculate the number of local cyber crime victims. Most emigrants from south africa state that crime was a big factor in their decision to leave. Sa has the third highest number of cyber crime victims. A clear and present danger combating the fastest growing cyber security threat 5 an increasing number of criminals and criminally minded enterprises have hired, purchased, or otherwise acquired the ability to infiltrate systems with new penetration techniques while developing a criminal ebusiness network. Cybercrime in ghana can be traced back to the 419 schemes in nigeria, also known as advancefee scams prior to the internet. Tackling the challenges of cybersecurity in africa 1.
Fawzia khan the issue of cyber bullying which was featured in a local sunday newspaper on 30 august 2015, gave a harrowing and chilling account of a durban school going teenagers nightmare, who was bullied by an unknown person on facebook and other social media network platforms. This creates a low risk of prosecution, which incentivises criminals and increases the challenge ahead. The ineffectiveness of the south african common law to combat cyber crime, led to the. In south africa alone, 73% of adults reported having experienced cybercrime. Document presented at the lex informatica 8 july 2016. Also referred to as computer crime, electronic crime, ecrime, netcrime and hitech crime. Southern africa south africa the electronic communications and transactions act 25 of 2002 ect the ineffectiveness of the south african common law to combat cybercrime, led to the promulgation of the etc. Around 57 people are murdered in south africa every day. Any kind of commercially related crime can be duplicated as cyber. The united kingdom is listed second in a report on global cybercrime statistics, behind the united states and ahead of cybercrime. However, the sa fraud prevention association estimates that the economic cost of cybercrime to south africa is r1 billion per year. This is due to the fact that computer criminals now have the opportunity to gain access to sensitive information if they possess. The south african respondents selected were over 18 years old and they own at least one mobile device.
In order to access an account, a user supplies a card and personal identification number pin. In south africa, cyber security awareness initiatives are delivered through a variety of independent. Pdf the international scope of the internet, the fast technological advances, the wide reach of technological usage and. The issue of cyber bullying which was featured in a local sunday newspaper on 30 august 2015, gave a harrowing and chilling account of a durban school going teenagers nightmare, who was bullied by an unknown person on facebook and other social media network platforms. South africa has a higher incidence in every category of economic crime except insider trading when compared to the global results. Data on the subject are somewhat scattered, but the main target on the african continent is very probably south africa, because of its high connectivity rate, its wealth, and its gdp per. Cybercrime is any criminal act dealing with computers, networks and smartphones. Most people paying attention would expect that the cost of cybercrime has gone up in recent years. Computers also make more mundane types of fraud possible. Sa has the third highest number of cyber crime victims worldwide. You might think that the only form of cybercrime you have to worry about is hackers stealing your financial information. The author wishes to thank the infrastructure enabling. Kshetri, cybercrime and cybersecurity in the global south. The total net cost of cybercrime in south africa is estimated at r10.
Iclg cybersecurity laws and regulations south africa covers common issues in cybersecurity laws and regulations, including criminal activity, applicable laws, specific sectors, corporate governance, litigation, insurance, employees, and investigatory and police powers. In south africa, cyber security awareness initiatives are. Find out about south african cyber crime law and how they affect you or your organisation. Below are three cybercrimes committed in south africa of late, which only underscore the seriousness of the situation. Cybercrime is generally defined as any form of criminal activity involving the use of computers and the internet. One of the more recent cybercrimes saw a syndicate comprising of 54 individuals hauled into court last month, on charges of fraud, money laundering, racketeering and theft. Four nonmembers the united states, canada, south africa and japan were. South africa introduces revised cybercrime legislation. Recently released statistics from the south african police service saps and statistics south africa ssa saw a slight decline of 1. High cost of cybercrime in africa cause for concern. Cybersecurity 2020 laws and regulations south africa iclg. Introduction the 20 economic report on africa, a joint publication of the economic commission for africa eca and the african union commission auc, states that following two decades of near stagnation, africas growth performance has improved hugely since the start of the 21st. Aghatise 2014 identified spamming and piracy as categories of cybercrime. Sizwe snail from snail attorneys spoke on cyber crime in south africa and various sections of the ect act dealing with different types of cyber crime.
This paper examined the nature and dynamics of cybercrime in nigeria and its contribution to the socioeconomic development challenges in the country. Victims of cybercrime are more likely to be male 64%. Volume of cybercrimerelated complaints that led to arrests in west africa from 20 to 2015 west african cybercriminal cultural mindset within the west african criminal culture, there appears to be a. Cyber knowledge, especially in developing areas, may not be strong enough to defend against even the more common type of attacks such as phishing, malware infection or. Cybercrimes and cybersecurity bill department of justice. South africa claims the legislation substantially expands its jurisdiction concerning cybercrime, compared to existing law. Figure 2 types of economic crime experienced over the past 24 months south africa 2016 global 2016 south africa 201 6 6 77% 1 2 5 37% 2 52 2 2 26 2 12 2 20 1 5 15 11 20 1 11 1 8%.
Cyber crime law in south africa explained michalsons. Challenges to enforcement of cybercrimes laws and policy. Criminals have developed means to intercept both the data on the cards magnetic strip as well as the users pin. The challenges that have emerged as a direct consequence, however, can also undermine progress and expose users to illicit activities online. Cybercrime and cybersecurity in subsaharan african economies. Mar 07, 2017 south africa claims the legislation substantially expands its jurisdiction concerning cybercrime, compared to existing law. Further, a fictional case study is used as a vehicle to stimulate thinking and exemplify key points of reference. Cybercrime, the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, stealing identities, or violating privacy.
Cybercrime law in south africa cybercrime law in south africa by fawzia khan, fawzia kahn and associates. Under the convention, member states are obliged to. Volume of cybercrime related complaints that led to arrests in west africa from 20 to 2015 west african cybercriminal cultural mindset within the west african criminal culture, there appears to be a forgiving mindset with fraud,4, 5 with some. The south african cyber threat barometer a strategic publicprivate partnership ppp initiative to combat cybercrime in sa.
However, south africas laws are adapting with the emerging threats happening in cyberspace. Additionally, cybercrime also includes traditional crimes conducted through the internet. Snail zybercrime and ybersecurity legislation in africa with an emphasis on cyber terrorism and cyber warfare from a south african perspective. This article will address this problem by looking at the impact of technological revolution on cybercrime and cyber defense in a developing country and will evaluate the relevant south african. Mr snail noted that the ect act would be amended by the electronic communications and transactions amendment bill, 2012. Pdf cyber crime in south africa hacking, cracking, and. Team csirt in south africa was identified as a major problem. Myburgh highlighted three types of illegal cyber activities, namely cybercrime, cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism and that, in terms of the latter two, south africa was not that high on the threat. These scams were a form of credit card fraud whereby the perpetrator would offer a monetary incentive, usually in the form of an international money transfer, in exchange for several downpayments from the victim. Preparing south africa for cyber crime and cyber defense.
South africa was one of the 18 markets surveyed with a sample size of 1 001. An analysis of cyberincidents in south africa scielo sa. There are different types of cyberattacks, and some receive more hype than others. Manual sharing these rely on victims to actually do the work of sharing the. In addition, south africa 80 per cent has the third highest number of cybercrime victims in the world, after russia 92. The focus of this dissertation is to comparatively analyse south africas ict regulatory framework against those of developing and developed nations and to. South africa a signatory to convention ratified conventionsubsequent protocols sa party to convention which represents an international effort to combat organised crime council of europescybercrime convention budapest proved a sound basis for essential cross border law enforcement cooperation required to combat cybercrime. Pdf preparing south africa for cyber crime and cyber defense. One in every 600 pdf files downloaded from the web contains malicious software. Oct 27, 2015 cybercrime is generally defined as any form of criminal activity involving the use of computers and the internet. Understanding policing of cybercrime in south africa. The cyber hub allows for people to report any cybercrime. However this act also prevents businesses to fully prosecute a hacker due to incompleteness.
A fundamental problem in combatting cybercrime in africa and elsewhere is a general lack of understanding of cybercrime and of cyber lawenforcement mechanisms. There are far more concerns than just basic financial ones. Cybercrime has become a huge issue not only in south africa but around the world. Welcome to the south african portal for resources and information on cybercrime. Addressing the growing spectre of cyber crime in africa. Nigeria is still among the top ten countries from which fraudulent credit card transactions and other forms of cybercrime originate though usa and uk lead the pack. Without a legal definition of cybercrime, it is difficult to accurately and completely quantify the impact on south africa. Cybersecurity 2020 laws and regulations south africa.