Information Principal Secretary Joseph Tiampati at a past meeting. He
has said cyber crimes are on the rise in Kenya. FILE PHOTO | NATION
MEDIA GROUP
Cyberattacks in the country increased by over 100 per cent last
year due to poor detection and lack of capacity to respond to the crime,
Principal Secretary Information, Communication and Technology Joseph
Tiampati has said.
The PS said although the ministry
has not completed compiling data on attacks in 2014, the number of
incidents reported and their severity indicate a serious threat on
government and privately owned information, communications and
technology systems.
“Last year alone we experienced
some of the most significant cyber attacks in the country’s history.
Hackers targeted key government institutions' websites, including some
belonging to the military,” he said.
The PS, who was
addressing ICT experts during the Information System Audit and Control
Association (ISACA) conference at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort,
Mombasa County said the crimes were an indication of the vulnerability
of systems not only in the country but also other states in Africa.
“We
are living in an era where ineffective cyber safety measures mean loss
of critical data, and even loss of financial assets. There is need to
make resolute efforts to tackle this problem by devoting more resources
to secure cyber space,” the PS added.
Mr Tiampati said
besides enactment of the Kenya Communication Act, which spells out
modalities of dealing with ICT related crimes, consultations were on to
formulate a Bill that will address emerging issues.
“The
Kenya and Computer Crimes Bill aims at sealing the legislative
loopholes that make it possible for cyber fraudsters to perpetrate
offences in the country,” he said.
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