Cyber security has come into focus of late thanks to the likes of Edward Snowden having revealed an extensive program by the US government to track its citizens and foreign citizens’ online communications.

Considering how cyber security is in the spotlight, ITWeb Africa has caught up with Mornay Walters, the chief executive officer of cyber security firm Seecrypt to speak about the subject.

Walters has over 20 years of advanced experience in communications and cyber security markets, and is an avid investor in tech businesses with a focus on information security and privacy management.

TEFO MOHAPI: What trends are you seeing on the continent regarding mobile and internet hacking / security?

MORNAY WALTERS: Online or internet hacking is a broad term and varies in levels of severity. The most common consumer online breaches you will find is people that still fall for the phishing scam emails, and trojan websites that collect your personal information that can then be used for online fraud. On the mobile front many apps especially on android can contain spyware and with hundreds of thousands of apps out there, downloading an app that can access your personal data on your phone is a real possibility.

Cyber crime remains very much unreported by many users, and its only when you hear about a website being defaced or credit card details have been stolen that its reported. The reality is snooping and active surveillance of private records by unauthorised members are one of the biggest issues the public faces, but because many systems do not have proper auditing trails in place there is simply no way to report to you that I may have access to any of your online accounts or have the ability to read your email or view your Skype conversations.

TEFO MOHAPI: How widespread is "eavesdropping" / wiretapping / ethernet sniffing?

MORNAY WALTERS: It’s common all over the world and has been in existence since the dawn of the internet.

TEFO MOHAPI: Do any African governments have extensive security programmes like NSA's PRISM?

MORNAY WALTERS: It’s safe to assume all governments have their own programmes in place to assist in national security and crime fighting. Given the nature of these programs you will not find a lot of information about this in public. In South Africa and under the RICA act the State Security Agency has the legal right to intercept all forms of communications under the act.

TEFO MOHAPI: What defence does the common consumer have specifically against eavesdropping / wiretapping / ethernet sniffing?

MORNAY WALTERS: Start by living a clean, responsible online life. Think before you make comments, post anything that could come back and harm you. Use VPN products particularly in public places where wifi is available like airports or coffee shops. Make sure a website has a valid HTTPS connection and their SSL certificate is valid. Ensure your email communicates with your server over a SSL connection and lastly if you can try and use communication products that encrypt end to end even better.