Cybercrime has been on the rise since the pandemic struck in 2020. The increased attack surface created by folks working from home proved enticing for cybercriminals and the attacks have been constant.

As such, US President Joe Biden has said that he will convene a meeting with 30 countries in a bid to tackle cybercrime.

“This month, the United States will bring together 30 countries to accelerate our cooperation in combatting cybercrime, improving law enforcement collaboration, stemming the illicit use of cryptocurrency, and engaging on these issues diplomatically,” Biden said at the weekend.

The US has experienced a spate of ransomware attacks in recent months including against meat producer JBS SA which paid an $11 million ransom. When the Colonial Pipeline was attacked it paid nearly $5 million to regain access to its systems.

Which countries Biden will be inviting to this meeting is unclear but the president did mention building a “coalition of nations” which will help to build trusted 5G networks and help to secure the United States’ supply chains.

“And, we are bringing the full strength of our capabilities to disrupt malicious cyber activity, including managing both the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence,” Biden added.

We are hoping that South Africa is a part of the meeting as our government needs some serious help when it comes to ransomware.

Most recently, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development suffered a ransomware attack. During the attack some 1 200 files containing sensitive information were stolen.

While COVID-19, unemployment and corruption are primary concerns here in South Africa at the moment, during this Cybersecurity Awareness Month we’d love to see government showing that it’s taking cybersecurity seriously.