As part of Youth Month, young researchers shared their work in cybercrime activities and the spread of misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Young scientists from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research say the rise in misinformation could be harmful to society, cautioning against sharing such information on social media as it may cause public panic.
“Some of the young people are becoming instigators of the spread of false information that has the potential to create panic during the pandemic in the country.”“Looking up the author of the story and looking for a backing from experts on the subject matter are often one’s best bet to verifying the credibility of a story or breaking news.
The CSIR has established a Security Operations Centre which houses an information security team who are responsible for monitoring and analysing these risks. “Cybercriminals have quickly adapted to using the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to launch themed attacks in vulnerable environments. To mitigate this, we have adapted a data-driven security, the SOC, approach to forecast potential malware attacks and fight against phishing attacks.
Also speaking at the briefing was Kedimotse Baruni, a CSIR biometric researcher who showcased facial biometric technology which is a contactless mechanism of identity verification.
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