The Communications Risk Information Centre (COMRiC) has published its first-ever Telecommunications Sector Report 2025, offering a clear look at the growing cybersecurity challenges facing South Africa’s telecommunications industry.
“This report reflects the scale and seriousness of the issues at hand,” COMRiC said. “Infrastructure vandalism, SIM swap fraud, ransomware, insider threats, and synthetic identity fraud are not isolated incidents; they form part of a systemic, multi-billion-rand criminal economy.”
The Cost of Cybercrime
According to COMRiC, telecom-related fraud drains approximately R5.3 billion annually from the South African economy, with nearly 60% of mobile banking fraud linked to SIM swap crimes. Phishing remains the most common attack method, costing over R200 million in 2023, up 50% from the year before.
Ransomware also impacted 78% of companies in 2024. A recent report by Sophos shows attackers are charging more than they used to, with the average ransom demand in South Africa reaching R17.79 million.
On average, South Africa experiences 3,312 cyberattacks every week, mainly targeting government and telecom infrastructure. In 2024, data breaches cost businesses an average of R53.1 million per incident.
Call for a National Plan
COMRiC stressed the need for a National Cybersecurity Resilience Plan to bring government, business, and civil society together.
“Failure to act decisively will lead to financial crime, systemic vulnerabilities, loss of public trust, and economic damage,” the report warned.
It also urged government to update the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA), especially to tackle unregulated OTT services and pre-RICA’d SIM cards.
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