'SA businesses susceptible to cyber attacks': 3.6m Dis-Chem clients affected

Mandy Weiner interviews Dan Thornton, co-founder and CEO of GoldPhish, a global cyber security awareness training platform.

Pharmacy retailer Dis-Chem has confirmed an investigation into a data breach of 3.6 million people’s personal information.

In a statement released on the company's website on Thursday, it confirms that: "No identification numbers, medical, financial or banking information was contained in this database.'' However, the incident exposed details on names, surnames and email addresses of more than 3.6 million Dis-Chem customers.

The retailer, which was made aware of the break on 1 May, launched an investigation into unauthorised access by a third party, which occurred at the beginning of April 2022.

Almost a year go Transet, South Africa's state logistics organisation, underwent a cyber attack that forced it to halt operations and immediately forfeit fulfilling contractual obligations on 22 July 2021.

The Midday Report with Mandy Weiner interviews Dan Thornton, co-founder and CEO of GoldPhish, a global cyber security awareness training platform, on Dis-Chem's cyber attack.

Thornton says this is an ongoing trend South African businesses should expect to see in the future.

He adds that due to the pandemic, businesses have transitioned to conducting operations online, making them more susceptible to more cyber attacks.

The data breach may also lead to reputational damage for businesses if consumers cannot trust them to protect their personal information.

Listen to the audio for more.

This article first appeared on 702 : 'SA businesses susceptible to cyber attacks': 3.6m Dis-Chem clients affected

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