Cybersecurity in the 5G and AI Era Summit on 22-23 June

06 Apr 2022

As South Africa is preparing for widespread 5G roll-outs, we have to consider the opportunities as well as the threats that this new technology might bring. 5G will introduce faster data transfer speeds and lower latency which will pave the way for new technologies that may benefit or harm our society. Artificial intelligence (AI) especially is envisioned to play a pivotal role in empowering intelligent, adaptive and autonomous security management in 5G networks. However, although AI may present astounding capabilities, it may also pose many vulnerabilities that may jeopardise the security of future networks.

5G technology will make it easier for hackers to engage in criminal activity which may result in massive cyber attacks. To protect electronic assets, organisations will have to keep up with cyber criminals who will be using the latest AI technologies to commit financial and other cyber crimes. Robust cyber security strategies with modern fraud detection and prevention technology with the ability to discover complex fraud patterns in data in real-time, will be necessary to keep cyber attacks at bay.

South Africa has recently made great strides in cyber security by introducing the new Cybercrimes Bill. The Bill is aimed at protecting all persons, including organisations and financial institutions, from cyber criminals and other offenders who rely on computers, the Internet and other technology to commit cyber crimes in South Africa.

In addition to the Cybercrimes Act, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), also plays a role in protecting personal information. Together, these two strategies play a key part in South Africa’s defence against cyber crime.

However, the Cybercrimes Bill does not expressly provide for the use of AI and 5G to detect and curb cyber crime in South African organisations, which is why some experts are calling for a careful review to ensure best practises are adhered to in the fight against cyber crime.

This summit will focus on exploring, assessing and finding solutions on how to tackle cyber threats in the 5G era.

The conference will feature an exciting line-up of speakers:

1. Garith Peck, Executive Head of Security, Vodacom

2. Melody Musoni, Senior Legal Consultant, PPM Attorneys

3. Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist, KnowBe4 Africa

4. Dr Happy Sithole, Centre Manager, National Integrated Cyber-Infrastructure System, NICIS

5. Mamela Luthuli, CEO, Take Note IT

6. Rupesh Vashist, Associate Director Cybersecurity, KPMG

7. Caroline Mouton, IT Whisperer, Clearwood

8. Ahmore Burger-Smidt, Director, Werkmans Attorneys

9. Dobek Pater, Director, Africa Analysis

10. Ethan Mudavanhu, Regulatory Compliance and Market Intelligence Consultant, Access Partnership