Concern as cyber crime eats into firms profits

By MICHAEL MUGWANG’A

Kenya: The country is under attack by tech savvy criminals who use the Internet and Information and Communication Technology to defraud innocent Kenyans and various institutions.

By March, financial institutions had recorded loses to the tune of Sh1 billion while millions of shillings have since been pilfered in cyber-crime.

Serianu, an ICT private security firm, says it detects over 1,000 attempted ICT-related attacks on organisations in the country every day.

Mr William Makatiani, the firm’s founder and managing director says while the financial impact of these crimes is not made public, millions of shillings are lost by organisations in the country.

An emerging area of concern is cyber bullying and spreading of malicious information about individuals and organisations.

 “On a daily basis we detect a total of 1,000 attempted attacks against organisations and individuals in Kenya. Thousands of cases are dropped because there isn’t a legal framework around cyber crime/cyber security. We desperately need laws in place otherwise — we are an exposed digital society,” says Makatiani.

An in attempt to save Kenyans from further losses the government has recruited former Permanent Secretary in the now defunct Information Ministry Dr Bitange Ndemo to lead an onslaught on cyber crime.

Interior and National Coordination Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku will chair the Bitange-led committee.

“As a measure of our seriousness in the fight against insecurity, the Government has formed an Inter-Ministerial Security Systems Committee chaired by myself that will oversee the upgrading of technology. The Technical Committee will be chaired by Dr Bitange Ndemo,” the Cabinet Secretary told Crime Watch.

During his tenure at the Information Ministry Ndemo was an active proponent of ICT adoption in the management of the country’s affairs.

Speaking to Crime Watch last Thursday Makatiani said cyber crime poses serious threats to the country’s security and nothing should be spared in developing a strong defense mechanism.

Key on the list of things the country should do, the IT expert advises, is to train enough personnel in technology, put in place a structure for collaboration between the State and private sector and initiate cross-border liaison with other countries within and without Africa.

“There is an urgent need for collaboration between the private and public sectors in Kenya. Government needs to do a lot more to protect Kenyans against foreign cyber criminals. Without a clear strategy we will get attacked and these foreign criminals will not be prosecuted,” Makatiani told Crime Watch.