ESET Threat Report H2 2025: Phishing and Social Engineering Pose Biggest Cybersecurity Risks for South African Organisations

ESET’s H2 2025 Threat Report reveals that phishing and social engineering remain the most significant cybersecurity risks for South African organisations, accounting for 45.7% of detected threats—well above the African average. The report also highlights the rapid evolution of AI-driven scams, deepfake-enabled fraud, NFC payment attacks, and growing global ransomware activity, underscoring the urgent need for stronger cyber resilience and advanced threat detection across South Africa’s digital economy.

Weaponising the threat: The changing face of cybercrime

The landscape of cybercrime is evolving, with companies and high-profile individuals increasingly weaponizing cyber-attacks to disrupt competitors, spread misinformation, and tarnish reputations. In this article, Richard Frost from Armata Cyber Security delves into how cybercrime tactics have shifted from mere data theft to sophisticated strategies aimed at discrediting or misdirecting rivals. These malicious activities, which include false accusations and corporate espionage, introduce complex new challenges for businesses trying to protect their reputation and data. Frost emphasizes the importance of strategic defense mechanisms, strong security support, and heightened awareness to combat these growing threats.