GLIMMER OF HOPE AS GOVERNMENT TEAM UP WITH STAKEHOLDERS FOR CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS

#Tiphephise #BeCybersmart

MBABANE – The Ministry of Information Communications and Technology has on Monday launched the 2021 Eswatini Cybersecurity Awareness Month under the themes; #Tiphephise #BeCyberSmart.

The campaign is a government-led multi-stakeholder initiative to create awareness on issues of online safety.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of ICT Maxwell Masuku said the ministry and ESCCOM are developing a National Digital Strategy which will, in context, address cybersecurity issues.

He said this will strengthen the security of government systems to keep pace with rapidly evolving cyber-security threats.

Hate speech accompanied by aggravating threats has been witnessed in social media regarding the ongoing political unrest in the kingdom of Eswatini in the past five months. This has left many Emaswati facing mental health and some leaving in a state of fear.

In fact, in Africa, many countries have seen a rise in reports of digital threats and malicious cyber activities. The results include sabotaged public infrastructure, losses from digital fraud and illicit financial flows, and national security breaches involving espionage and intelligence theft by militant groups.

Ministry of ICT Principal Secretary Maxwell Masuku stated that the strategy will help increase the government’s capability to detect, defend, deter and neutralize cyber threats.

ESCCOM Chief Executive Officer Mvilawempi Dlamini said addressing cybersecurity risks has become more important than ever.

“It is essential that everyone recognizes the importance of proper digital hygiene. The country has set up a computer security response team (CIRT) to monitor cybersecurity threats,” he said.

NATCOM William Dlamini (Represented by Deputy NATCOM Mamsie Dlamini) disclosed that between December 2020 and September 2021, an upsurge in the number of cybercrime cases and incurred financial losses were recorded compared to figures recorded last year for the same period.

Meanwhile, Business Eswatini CEO Nathi Dlamini said, “Cybersecurity is everyone’s business. Let’s all be vigilant and have our eyes peeled to the potential threats.”

Meanwhile, Central Bank Deputy Governor Felicia Kunene said: “As we commemorate the Cybersecurity awareness month, the challenge to all financial players in Eswatini is, #Tiphephise, #BeCyberSmart.”

World Vision National Director Tinah Mukunda mentioned that there is a lot of child trafficking facilitated by technology, cyberbullying, and sexual violence.

“It is imperative to put energy together to come up with solutions to help us co-exist safely with tech. Let’s all aim to #BeCyberSmart,” she said.

Below is a report by MyITU on Africa’s cybersecurity gap:

Africa’s cybersecurity gap

The GCI report examines the cybersecurity landscape in 194 countries by the end of 2020 and assesses their commitment to improving cybersecurity based on five pillars: legal, technical, organizational, capacity development, and cooperation. We highlight below the overall performance of African countries in line with these pillars:

1. Legal: Out of 54 African countries assessed, 29 had passed legislation to promote cybersecurity. Four others are currently at the stage of drafting policies or seeking legislative approval. Africa comes second to Europe in terms of the prevalence of legislation. Of all the pillars assessed, this was the measure where the region recorded its best performance. Still, these legal frameworks lack adequate depth and breadth; only 17 African nations have adopted specific legislation to tackle online harassment.

2. Technical: This measures the mechanisms and structures put in place at the national level to deal with cyber risks and incidents, and particularly the existence of a reliable Computer Incident and Emergency Response Team (CIRT or CERT). Out of 131 CIRTs identified across the globe, only 19 are in Africa, with an additional 2 in the pipeline. Interestingly, 6 of the 19 emerged between 2018 and 2020, reflecting a notable rise in a short period. Africa has only nine sector-specific CIRTs, set to respond to particular risks. This indicates a lack of maturity in the region’s cybersecurity measures.
3. Organizational: This pillar examines whether coordination mechanisms are sustainable, if the roles and functions of implementing agencies are clearly defined, and possible actions to protect critical infrastructure. Based on this, only ten African countries possess a national cybersecurity strategy that fully addresses measures related to critical infrastructure. About the same number of countries have conducted an audit to track the progress of national cybersecurity efforts.

4. Capacity development: All but six countries in Africa lack capacity-development incentives for cybersecurity – which aim to bridge the digital divide, build institutional knowledge, or address policy awareness limitations and skills shortages for cyber protection.

5. Cooperation: Given that cyberthreats are borderless, countries need to embrace collaborative efforts on cybersecurity. As the GCI report reveals, just 19 African countries are signatories to multilateral cybersecurity agreements, in contrast to 41 European countries. Only ten African countries have entered into bilateral cybersecurity agreements.

Among the factors creating a conducive environment for cybercrime in Africa are limited public awareness and knowledge regarding the potential risks when using cyberspace, underdevelopment of digital infrastructure, limitations in institutional capacity to coordinate and implement available cybersecurity laws, and an absence of extensive cybersecurity policies. This implies room to improve the cybersecurity approach in African countries.