State-sponsored attacks increase

Your “clever, secure” password can probably be cracked in less than a minute by tech-savvy hackers anywhere in the world using “brute force” and other methods to decrypt sensitive data.

Cybercrime is reaching crisis levels with cyberattacks on major South African companies, state institutions and individuals and the number of IT breaches increasing and expected to rise further.

Cyber expert Professor Manoj Maharaj from the University of KwaZulu- Natal said the number of attacks was far greater than the public was aware of and a major education drive was needed to bolster online security in the country.

“Your security must be like an onion with multiple layers, not like an egg. An egg