![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Armand-Kruger-Head-of-Cybersecurity-at-NEC-XON-WEB-1-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n“Credentials have become the skeleton key to an organisation\u2019s digital assets,” said Armand Kruger, Head of Cybersecurity at NEC XON. “We\u2019ve uncovered over 10,000 compromised South African credentials on the dark web during recent client assessments. That\u2019s not just a statistic\u2014it\u2019s an open invitation to attackers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These credentials are harvested using malware known as credential stealers, which infect devices such as smartphones and computers to extract stored login information\u2014whether saved in browsers or on the device itself. Cyber adversaries use these stolen credentials to access services such as online banking and other consumer platforms, take over accounts and cause significant harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attackers\u2019 favourite entry point<\/strong> Kruger explained that in several vulnerability assessments, NEC XON traced stolen credentials to South African domains and active infrastructure\u2014with no multi-factor authentication in place. “It\u2019s like leaving the front door open and being shocked when someone walks in.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Corporate credentials are often used to access remote services such as RDP and VPN on corporate networks, enabling attackers to gain an initial foothold in the environment\u2014a common tactic employed by ransomware operators targeting enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybercriminals are calling in AI \u2014 so should you<\/strong> “Cybercriminals are no longer working harder\u2014they\u2019re working smarter with AI,” said Kruger. “That\u2019s why traditional security models are failing. They simply don\u2019t have the resources or speed to keep up.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kaspersky IT Security Economics Report (2025)<\/em> echoes these concerns, revealing a 26% rise in password-stealing malware across Africa in 2024. Picus Labs\u2019 Red Report 2025<\/em> noted a 300% surge in credential theft. The solution, Kruger argues, is to match AI with AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Cybersecurity shouldn\u2019t be a grudge purchase. It is a business continuity asset. We work to integrate advanced AI technologies to move beyond detection\u2014towards proactive, adaptive, business-aligned protection. Cybersecurity is fundamentally about risk management\u2014it\u2019s centered on building resilience, the ability to withstand and recover from cyberattacks,” explained Kruger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, AI-driven security solutions should include: “Our own Managed Detection & Response (MDR) team recently demonstrated this in action. AI systems intercepted a ransomware threat to a client\u2019s systems by automatically quarantining the malware, disabling compromised credentials and isolating the endpoint before any damage was done\u2014with no human intervention required. Cybercriminals don\u2019t wait for board meetings, technical evaluation criteria, RFPs, change control or operational reviews to assess capabilities\u2014they act with curiosity and intent, constantly probing to see how far functionality can be exploited,” said Kruger. “That\u2019s why AI in cybersecurity isn\u2019t optional anymore\u2014it\u2019s a business investment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Security visibility is another major focus. A trusted partner should deliver AI-driven cybersecurity as a real-time, consumption-based service, including: “Ultimately, it\u2019s about delivering cybersecurity that protects and enables the business\u2014not just checking boxes,” said Kruger. “We work hand-in-hand with customers to understand their risk, define measurable goals and implement intelligent protection.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The future, Kruger said, is cyber anticipation. “You need to see the threat before it knocks. Proactive foresight and actionable intelligence are essential pillars of institutional resilience. And with the right AI-powered systems in place, you can.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With cybercrime now officially ranked as the top business risk in South Africa, NEC XON has issued a critical alert about the dual threat of massive credential theft and AI-powered cyberattacks sweeping across the region. With rising incidents and evolving threat tactics, NEC XON is calling on organisations to rethink security from a static, reactive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":75800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16131,17681,15417,298,399,18374,9059,13,262],"tags":[496,18581,492,388,10358,277,453],"class_list":["post-75794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-ai","category-cybersecurity","category-main-story-newsletter","category-more-news","category-platforms","category-south-africa","category-top-stories","category-used","tag-ai","tag-credential-theft","tag-cybercrime","tag-cybersecurity","tag-nec-xon","tag-ransomware","tag-south-africa"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76773,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75794\/revisions\/76773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
According to the IBM 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report<\/em>, compromised credentials are now the most common entry point for attackers in South Africa, responsible for 17% of breaches and costing companies an average of R56 million per incident. The scale is equally alarming at the human level: Mimecast\u2019s 2024 research shows that 40% of breaches are caused by human error\u2014often through phishing and stolen passwords\u2014yet only 22% of companies provide on-going cybersecurity training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attackers are now leveraging Artificial Intelligence. According to the World Economic Forum Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Report (2025)<\/em>, AI has democratised cybercrime, giving attackers tools to scale up phishing campaigns, automate social engineering and develop adaptive malware. NEC XON confirms this shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Real-time threat detection and response \u2013 automated investigations allow human experts to shift focus from damage control to prevention
\u2022 Business risk quantification \u2013 aligning security with operational goals improves resilience and reduces cost
\u2022 Optimised security spend \u2013 AI efficiencies deliver strong protection without waste<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Live dashboards
\u2022 Instant response reports
\u2022 Collaboration tools that break down digital silos<\/p>\n\n\n\n