Cyber-crime a major drawback to the ICT sector

The high rate of cyber security challenges poses a major threat to gains being made in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector globally.
ICT stakeholders contend that activities of cyber criminals disrupt economic development and security of nations.
The concerns were expressed during the three day Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Kenya chapter annual conference that ended on Friday at a Mombasa hotel.
The conference whose theme was ‘Enabling Digital Transformation’ was attended by over 300 local and international participants.
ICT Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr. Katherine Getao said cyber security must become a key priority for all stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
“Kenya will work closely with other players to counter malicious actors whose criminal activities cause harm in cyberspace,” said Dr. Getao.
Reiterating that technology played a crucial role to social and economic growth, Dr. Getao said Kenya has integrated ICT into public service delivery and the realization of Vision 2030.
ISACA Kenya chapter president Raymond Bett said there is an urgent need to confront the threat posed by hackers by instituting prudent risk management as ICT is increasingly becoming an enabler of business and development in the country.
He said ISACA will be playing an important role in securing cyberspace by working with the government to “fortify efforts to defeat cyber insecurity and ensure safety of crucial data”.
In its quarterly report for Q3 2017/2018, the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) stated that the country was the target of 7.9 million cyber-attacks between January and March 2018.
Among the key speakers during the conference were Senior Director Public Affairs Huawei Southern Africa Adam Lane, Microsoft Business Director North & Sub Saharan Africa Pratik Roy and Safaricom Chief Customer Officer Sylvia Mulinge.
By Mohamed Hassan