Nigerians and other Africans are unconcerned about cybercriminals’ activities because they think that those activities won’t have an impact on them a report by KnowBe4 has revealed.

The report, which was obtained by Peoples Gazette on Monday, explained that while the digital world is teeming with an ever-evolving range of tools and services designed to make people’s lives simpler, workplaces run more smoothly, and interactions richer, the solutions have also opened up cyber windows to let in the threats and attacks that compromise both organisations and people. 

Speaking about the poll’s results, Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, emphasised that one of the most important issues organisations must address is awareness and understanding of cybercrime among their workers.

“We undertook a poll to assess cybersecurity awareness in Africa and discovered that some of the key issues facing organisations right now were awareness and understanding,” Ms Collard said.

“Many people still feel safe online and believe that cybercrime will not affect them personally. Others expect their work to take care of their cyber safety or do not know how to mitigate the threats themselves,” she added.

800 employees from various industries in Mauritius, Botswana, Egypt, and Ghana participated in the KnowBe4 Cybersecurity in Africa survey to gauge their level of cybersecurity awareness. The survey primarily examined their levels of connectivity, the digital platforms and devices they used, their perceptions of cybersecurity, their methods of operation, and their awareness of threats.

Ms Collard, per findings of the report, claims that many people aren’t even aware that they can be hacked while using public Wi-Fi or that passwords and other sensitive data can be stolen while they are online.