Increase surveillance to curb cyber attacks
Digital services are an inevitable new way of conducting operations in the government and its various agencies. However, there are risks in the area that call for utmost care to avoid devastating consequences.
The government is keen to streamline payments for its services and enhance efficiency. It has, therefore, chosen the e-Citizen portal as the means to achieve this. Last month, President William Ruto lauded the success of e-Citizen, which has seen a 1,300 per cent growth in daily revenue from Sh60 million last year to Sh900 million. The target, which is possible judging from what has been realised, is Sh1 billion daily.
Increasing digitisation and migration of many public services to online platforms have led to a growing reliance on web-based services, exposing institutions and individuals to cyber threats, with attacks resulting in disruption of services and huge financial losses.
Cyber criminals made 114 attempts to attack critical government information infrastructure between January and August this year, says a report tabled in Parliament. Online crimes pose a major challenge to law-enforcement agencies, with financial institutions losing billions of shillings every year. Other organisations, both private and public, and individuals have also been hit in devious attacks.
The cyberspace remains volatile due to the rapid technological advancement and increased global connectivity. The advancement of artificial intelligence has created both opportunities and challenges, hence the need for increased detection and response to keep pace with the growing cyber threats. The use of malicious software is expected to increase. And cyber criminals are increasingly using AI-enabled systems with serious consequences.
The government has adopted a multi-agency approach and is forging partnerships to counter the cyber threats. The country’s critical digital assets must be safeguarded. This grave online threat is a wakeup call to the country to create greater awareness and take measures to curb it.
