The State Security Agency has concluded its four day cybersecurity conference in Pretoria with a call by the Minister of State Security, Mr David Mahlobo, for improved cooperation and partnership between government, private sector, academia and civil society on matters of cybersecurity.
The four day conference was attended by experts from the private sector, government departments and state owned entities and teaching institutions. The aim of the conference was to map out progress that has been made with regards to policy development and implementation and to define areas of collaboration and partnerships with the private sector and academia.
Addressing the closing session, Mahlobo emphasised the need for better coordination, saying government alone cannot secure the cyberspace and related ict’s. “The private sector is expected to contribute to national skills, research and development. Academic institutions should take a lead in developing academic programs that focus on developing the required technical skills in partnership with government. Civil society is expected to take interest in the general awareness programs and at least ensure their devices have updated malware protection”, he said.
The conference heard how South Africa is losing hundreds of millions of rands annually to cybercrime and what organisations need to do to protect the integrity of their systems.
The State Security Agency is tasked, in terms of the Cabinet approved Cybersecurity Policy Framework, with coordinating government’s response to matters of cybersecurity.
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