EDITOR’S QUESTION
A DAY IN THE LIFE
HOW WILL THE
INFRASTRUCTURE
SECURITY GUIDELINES
AFFECT AFRICAN
ORGANISATIONS AND
HOW WILL THE COUNTRY
NEED TO ADAPT TO
ACCOMMODATE THESE
GUIDELINES?
GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry-
experts what makes them tick…
Schalk Nolte,
CEO, Entersekt
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
From a career point of view, the most memorable moment for
me was the first time that we actually saw people using our
software and saw the impact we had on phishing. Nedbank
issued a press release in March of 2013, stating that their
phishing losses had decreased by 99% after deploying our
technology. This was super – to see our hard work and our strong
belief in ourselves confirmed in the real world. Speaking more
personally, becoming a father was life-changing and it put many
things into perspective – there’s a reason it’s a cliché!
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I have been interested in tech for as long as I can remember,
even as a child. There was no deciding moment or event, it
was just a natural progression. Technology is very exciting
and continuously changes how we do things, and I think this
continuous change (mostly for the better) is what keeps
things interesting,
What style of management
philosophy do you employ in your
current position?
Over the years, I have watched and seen how employees respond
to different management styles, and have used this – together
with what comes naturally to me – to lead. I like empowering
my team, there’s no point in appointing awesomely bright
people and then imposing your own thinking on them. I am very
open listening to new and different ways of doing things, which
is particularly important in the fintech space, and encourage
colleagues to speak out in a ‘safe’ environment.
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What do you think is the top
technology trend of 2017 and why?
Biometrics and blockchain are currently the buzz topics.
Biometrics is big because it is seen as the silver bullet to the
problem of us having to remember so many passwords in order
to protect our identity online. Biometrics is great in terms of
ease of use, but it still has its issues. The Samsung S8 iris scan
hack in May was a great example. Blockchain is a very cool
tech, and it will probably solve a number of real-world problems,
but at the moment it is a bit over-hyped.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside of the office?
I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the world –
Stellenbosch – so it’s easy to find a somewhere to relax and
unwind with my family. I enjoy all things relating to nature and
for me there’s nothing more relaxing than taking a few hours to
go fly fishing. I also enjoy reading: fiction and non-fiction.
If you could go back and change
one career decision, what would
it be?
This is a difficult one to answer, because many mistakes are also
good lessons – ‘school fees’ for life, in effect. I think one has to
weigh the actual impact of a decision against what you have
learnt from it, either as a person or as an organisation. Some
school fees are on the steep side, though, and those are the ones
I would have loved to be able to change!
www.intelligentcio.com
Excerpt taken from the Internet
Society’s introduction to Internet
Infrastructure Security Guidelines
for Africa Vulnerabilities, or exploitable weaknesses,
pose a threat to devices, networks and
systems across a range of industries,
organisations and targets.
The importance of the Internet and ICTs
as effective tools for achieving socio-
economic development in developing
countries is widely recognised by
governments, financial institutions and
development partners. The Internet
and ICTs form vital infrastructure for
development. They are a new source
of growth, and drivers for innovation
and social well-being. As the Internet
economy grows, stakeholders and the
rest of the economy become increasingly
reliant on digital infrastructure to
perform their essential functions. In light of the threat to socio-
economic development posed by
attacks on Internet infrastructure, it is
the responsibility of all stakeholders,
including governments and Internet
service providers, to agree upon solutions
to ensure the Internet in every country
remains safe, secure and resilient. A key
aspect of choosing security solutions is to
preserve the open nature of the Internet
and reinforce trust.
While the Internet benefits economic
growth and innovation, attacks against
Internet infrastructure represent a major
risk to economic growth and innovation.
The joint AUC-Symantec report “Cyber
Crime & Cyber Security Trends in Africa”,
published in November 2016, reveals
that 24 million malware incidents
targeting Africa were observed in 2016.
A 2017 report from McAfee finds that,
in the fourth quarter of 2016 alone,
nearly 12% of their African mobile
customers reported malware infections.
www.intelligentcio.com
The nature of these threats continues
to include activities such as theft (of
identity, personal data, and secrets of
all kinds), infringement of intellectual
property rights, denial of service
attacks, defacement, and other sources
of disruption. However, large-scale
distributed denial of service (DDoS)
attacks, misuse or breaches of personal
data and the disruption of critical
infrastructure should be of the most
concern to Africa.
Africa is becoming more and more
connected to the Internet. Businesses,
infrastructures, governments, citizens
and key industries are all becoming
linked to the Internet. As the continent
increasingly relies upon the Internet,
protecting its critical elements becomes
vital. African stakeholders in the Internet
ecosystem must work together to
protect the interconnected Internet
infrastructure while preserving the
fundamental properties of the Internet
and upholding fundamental rights.
Internet infrastructure security is a
domain of paramount importance and
magnitude. The guidelines address areas
that are relevant and specific to essential
current needs in Africa.
Although the emphasis in the guidelines
is on Internet infrastructure security,
it is difficult to differentiate these
issues from more general Internet or
network security issues. Therefore, some
aspects of general network security are
also covered.
By ensuring increased security and
resiliency, the recommendations
will help increase confidence in, and
use of, the Internet by the African
community. While the recommendations
do not cover every issue in Internet
infrastructure security, they are an
important first step towards a
resilient, safe and secure African
Internet infrastructure.
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