The report examines cybercrime trends, statistics and real life examples on a global scale as well as breaking it down by specific countries and regions, while providing possible defenses to safeguard against it.

The public sector is becoming an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals everywhere.

This comes at no surprise as government agencies and public sector services retain personal data on the vast majority of people, information that is invaluable to cybercriminals.

The report is packed with startling facts and statistics highlighting the sharp rise in cyber-attacks in this sector.

Some of these include:

• Cyber-attacks against government agencies and public sector services increased by 40% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the first
• Government agencies and law practices experienced the largest spike in ransomware attacks at 95% in quarter three of 2023
• Global ransomware attacks were up by 95% in the third quarter of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022
• The cost of a data breach increased by 15% over three years
• Generative AI is increasingly being adopted by cybercriminals to create sophisticated social engineering attacks

In our current digital era, common and constantly updated tactics of social engineering such as phishing, vishing, spear phishing, and smishing continue to be the most popular and effective tactics used by cybercriminals to gain access to systems and initiate their attacks.

There is a critical need to strengthen the human aspect of cybersecurity within organizations through comprehensive security awareness training.

It is an undeniable fact that employees, the last line of defense, can inadvertently become the weakest link in the security chain.

“Through proper training initiatives, this cost-effective and straightforward approach can effectively counteract social engineering tactics,” Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. “However, as the sophistication of attacks designed to exploit the human factor increases, the continuous reinforcement of a strong security culture is an indispensable tool for enduring digital defense and operational continuity.”

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ChatGPT has had more airtime than the world’s most renowned celebrity. Its arrival has sparked questions and concerns that some did not even think to ask, including if it is a threat to our critical thinking skills.

Write this essay. Complete this analysis. Unpack the meaning behind this excerpt. These are all sentences that bring horror to those who do homework – lengthy essays about things that students are not sure they care about, and that many do not see the point in doing in the first place.

This homework is not designed to be terrifying; it is designed to ignite the mind and critical thinking; to challenge students to form their own opinions and then using research and cognitive thinking to back them up. Currently, this is being threatened by tools like ChatGPT.

Yet, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are here to stay so instead of seeing it as a threat, it should be seen as an asset, but one that supports cognitive growth and memory function rather than replacing it, says Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA.

“Research by George Millar in 1956 found that the average person can only keep around seven items in their working memory,” she explains. “Miller’s Law of seven plus-minus two means up to nine or as little as five items are the limit of a human’s processing abilities. Today, that number has gone down to four. This research, along with other academic papers and analyses, points to reduced memory due to an over reliance on technology also called the Google effect,” explains Collard.

This is a concern, one that has grown increasingly vocal over the past year as educators and researchers have pondered the impact of technology, and now AI, on cognitive behaviour and memory retention. However, it is also balanced by research that has pointed out that actually, human beings have been outsourcing their memory to various materials and solutions for centuries. Paper, parchment, papyrus and wood are some prime examples. Modern technology is no different. It can be a tool to bolster memory and make it far easier for humans to manage lives that are deluged by information, noise and digital clutter.

“The research goes in both directions, suggesting that technology is both an enabler and an inhibitor of human memory,” says Collard. “This points to the fact that actually, the impact does not lie in using it, but in how it is used or, in the case of ChatGPT, abused. The latter can be an immensely useful tool that supports students in their research and studies, but if it becomes the sole source of information and does all the writing for them, that is where the problems start.”

Nowadays, remembering where you found a fact has become more important than remembering the fact itself. This translates directly into the biggest challenge with ChatGPT – it is vague on its sources and often out of date, which means that it rarely is as accurate as it needs to be.

“ChatGPT uses machine learning to infer information and this introduces inaccuracies,” says Collard. “If you ask ChatGPT what happens if you break a mirror, it replies with ‘You will have seven years of bad luck’. This is not a fact; it is based on superstition. If users do not constantly check the factual accuracy of ChatGPT, they run the risk of sharing fake news, inaccurate information and even conspiracy theories.”

The TruthfulQA benchmark test has found that most generative models are only truthful 25% of the time, according to the 2022 Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Index Report.

This means over reliance on technology such as ChatGPT is simply going to make the student’s work look stupid. However, that is not enough to stop people from turning to tech when they are tired, overwhelmed or lazy, which means that the best approach is to embrace it.

“Do not ban it, rather teach students how to use it within practical guidelines and policies that help them to enhance their understanding of AI and this type of tool,” concludes Collard. “This will enhance their own critical thinking skills by asking them to question the sources, content, truthfulness and accuracy of the content that the platform serves up to them, and it will turn the threat into an opportunity.”