Business

Bernard Munyaradzi Chadenga

Let me tell you about a hedge fund that almost went under. It was managing billions of rands in assets, a powerhouse in the African context. Its entire operation ground to a halt because of a single supplier, one individual running a business out of her garage with one laptop, one locked filing cabinet and a printer. Her machine was compromised, the attackers piggybacked off her unmonitored home device, extracted customer data, and secured a direct pipeline into her environment. She wasn't even on the payroll, yet she brought down the fund's network.

This isn't an isolated incident. Global headlines over the past few years – from Disney to Marks & Spencer – prove that our supply chain is our broadest attack surface. South Africa is reaching a tipping point, with recent third-party breaches affecting big brands. Over 30% of global breaches now originate through third parties, a reality felt across local enterprises facing sophisticated, targeted cybercrime. Yet, our collective response remains stuck in a loop of static questionnaires and legal clauses.