Weak threat response and outdated technology expose millions to cyber attacks

The internet is undeniably the world's global marketplace. Statistics show that millions of new people are joining the Internet every day, with more than half of the world's population reportedly interacting with the Internet service, making cybercrime to be on the rise due to inadequate awareness of cyber attacks. Some countries, companies, individuals and organisations have adopted some security measures to protect their online engagements from threats, but a larger percentage rarely update their security features against the increasingly sophisticated and modified malware used by cybercriminals.

If we take the developing countries of the world as a case study, their governments have weak or no threat response and outdated security systems to protect their data, leaving them vulnerable to cyber attacks. In these countries, 80% of new internet users are from them, but only 10% have any prior knowledge of cyber security. 22% have outdated security systems running on their device, while the rest are simply vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Interpol reports that more than 600 million people on the African continent are now online, and about 90% of them are operating without proper cybersecurity precautions in an environment that sees about 700 million cybersecurity threats in a year. According to the report, Africans are being indirectly victimised as they try to catch up with the latest trends in digital infrastructure and services such as mobile banking, crypto trading, and more.

To curb or mitigate this problem, there is a need for massive awareness and training of the masses and cybersecurity personnel on the latest trends in cyber threats and measures to combat them. The government is expected to adopt some policies and work with stakeholders to ensure a concerted effort to protect the country's cyber sovereignty.