Staff Reporter
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) - EGYPT faces the biggest threat to internet security in the continent.

This is according to the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report. According to the report, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria are most at risk.

The Internet Security Threat Report, revealed a 42 percent surge during 2012 in targeted attacks compared to the prior year. 

Designed to steal intellectual property, these targeted cyberespionage attacks are increasingly hitting the manufacturing sector as well as small businesses, which are the target of 31 percent of these attacks.

In addition, consumers remain vulnerable to ransomware and mobile threats, particularly on the Android platform.

“This year’s ISTR shows that cybercriminals aren’t slowing down, and they continue to devise new ways to steal information from organizations of all sizes,” said Sheldon Hand, territory manager, Indian Ocean Islands, West and Central Africa, Symantec.

“The sophistication of attacks coupled with today’s IT complexities, such as virtualization, mobility and cloud, require organizations to remain proactive and use ‘defense in depth’ security measures to stay ahead of attacks.”