Vuma News

October is the month when cybersecurity experts are busiest, keeping us all safe online.

With Black Friday around the corner, deals are everywhere, people are clicking fast, and scammers are sharpening their digital claws.

According to a media statement issued by Vuma, which references a TransUnion survey published last year, around 68% of South Africans were targeted by fraud (email, phone, text and online) from August to December, with 33% saying they lost money in the past year.

With Cybersecurity Awareness Month commemorated in October, it’s the ideal time to buff up your online street smarts.

Being connected shouldn’t mean being careless. With these tips in mind, you’ll hopefully stay safer than a bank vault.

Rename your Wi-Fi and create a guest zone for your gadgets

Default service set identifiers (the name of your Wi-Fi network), such as VumaFibre_1234, are hacker magnets.

Rather:

• Go for something boring, odd or cryptic.
• Add a strong password.
• While smart bulbs, cameras and speakers are fun, they’re also potential entry points. Use your router’s guest network feature to sandbox ‘smart home’ devices away from your personal gear.

QR codes = not always cute

Scammers are embedding malicious links in QR codes at stores, flyers and even on receipts.

Before you scan, consider a few things:

• Is the branding legit?
• Does the code look photoshopped over something else?

If in doubt, don’t scan it.

Protect access to your phone like it’s your home

You wouldn’t just let anyone into your house. So don’t only protect your devices, lock down who can access them:

• Use strong, multi-factor authentication
• Avoid reusing account names
• Treat account recovery like a secret mission.

Whether it’s your router, antivirus, firewall or cloud backup, ensure they ‘speak’ to each other. Correlated alerts give you faster responses and fewer ‘oh no’ moments.

When in doubt, report it

If you encounter anything suspicious – a weird email, a dodgy site or a scammer attempting to contact you on WhatsApp or social media – report it immediately to your bank, internet service provider or the police. Your alert can help shut down scams for an entire community.

“As South Africans connect to faster fibre and smarter homes, it’s important to connect safely,” says Simon Butler, chief commercial officer at Vuma.

“Technology empowers people to do extraordinary things, but it’s only powerful when we use it safely and confidently. By practising smart digital habits and looking out for one another, we can make the internet safer for everyone.”

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