A YOUNG BOY IN COURT CHARGED WITH CYBER-ATTACKS

A young boy has appeared in court charged with carrying out cyber-attacks on websites across the world (This includes, Asia Africa, Europe and other parts of the world) he was also charged with sending bomb hoaxes to US airlines.

The boy, aged 14 and 15 when the alleged offences took place, sat with his parents at Plymouth youth court in Devon for a brief first appearance.

He denied three charges under section three of the Computer Misuse Act relating to alleged distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on websites in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. DDoS attacks involve overwhelming a website with traffic, often taking it offline.

He also denied two offences under section 51 of the Criminal Law Act concerning bomb hoaxes allegedly made to airlines in North America via social media.

The alleged cyber-attacks are said to have taken place between October 2014 and January 2015. It is claimed the bomb hoaxes were made in February 2015. The boy, who cannot be named, is now 16.

His lawyer, Kenneth Papenfus, requested an adjournment, saying: “This is a complex case.” He said he would need the help of a computer expert and told the court: “I don’t understand the statements served on me. I need expert intervention to decipher the statements served on me.”

WAHALIFU MTANDAO WATIKISA ANGA YA WANAUSALAMA MITANDAO

Wanausalama mtandao kote duniani walikamilisha tukio muhimu sana linalofanyika kila mwezi Oktoba (Cybersecurity Awareness Month) lenye dhamira ya kukuza uelewa wa matumizi salama ya mitandao huku ikiaminika kupitia tukio hilo uhalifu mtandao unaweza kupunguzwa kwa asilimia kubwa. Mataifa mengi yakiwa na mafanikio makubwa kutokana na hili ambapo Tanzania pia kupitia baadhi ya Makampuni  ilipata kushiriki.

Wakati bado mafanikio mbali mbali yakijadiliwa wahalifu mtandao wamegundulika kuja na uhalifu unaotafsiriwa kuwa ni wa kihistoria na uliofanyika kwa ubunifu na umahiri wa hali ya juu ambapo wahalifu mtandao wamefanikiwa kusambaza kirusi aina ya ModPOS kinacho athiri mashine zinazotumika kukamilisha miamala wakati wa manunuzi.

Kirusi cha ModPOS, kimegundulika Nchini Marekani wakati wa sherehe za “Thanks Giving” ambapo watu wengi hufanya manunuzi. Kirusi hicho Kimekua kikifanikisha upotevu mkubwa wa pesa wakati wa miamala.

Mara baada ya ugunduzi huo wa ModPOS, mijadala kupitia mtandao ilianza baina ya wanausalama mitandao ili kuweza kufanikisha mambo makubwa matatu. Moja ni kuweza kugundua chanzo na jinsi ilivyo fanikishwa kuwepo bila kugundulika (Inaaminika kimedumu muda – Taarifa ambazo bado zinafatiliwa) Pili, Ilikua ni kutafuta suluhu ya kirusi hicho ili kiweze kuondolewa na Tatu, ni kupanga namna ya kukuza uelewa wa namna ya kujikinga na janga hili la ModPOS.

COLABOTARION: SA LAUNCHES NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY HUB

No one can fight cybercrimes in isolation – We need to collaborate, I have said this many times when addressing cybersecurity experts and others delegates in every conference or summit I attended. Several countries continue to work on collaborations and we have witnessed major reforms to the entities fighting cybercrimes in the US, Singapore, Saudi Arabia among others.

 In the name of Collaboration, On Friday 30^th October this year (2015) – The South African government launched the National Cybersecurity Hub in a bid to fight rising cybercrimes.

The hub will serve as a central point for collaboration between the industry, government and civil society on all cybersecurity related incidents in South Africa, Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Honorable Dr. Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele said at the launch ceremony in Pretoria.

The information gathered by the hub will be used to monitor cyber-attacks and provide warnings to stakeholders of emerging threats, serve as information centre for solutions on how to deal with treats and enable stakeholders to get updates on the global for preemptive measures to strengthen their systems against cyber-attacks, Cwele said.

"It is a centre for collaboration among all stakeholders to empower us to jointly defend ourselves against the criminal elements that abuse our global resource, the internet, for attacking us in order to disrupt our activities or to steal," the minister said.

The hub will offer its services free to the public.

TAMBUA NAMNA YA KUKABILIANA NA UHALIFU MTANDAO

Mwezi Huu wa October, Nimekua na kazi kubwa ya kuhimiza mashirika, makampuni pamoja na Taifa kwa ujumla kuutumia vizuri kutokana na kua ni mwezi maalum uliotengwa na wanausalama mtandao kote duniani wa kukuza uelewa wa matumizi salama ya mitandao ili kuweza kupunguza wimbi kubwa la uhalifu mtandao duniani kote.

Nategemea kuandikia yaliyo jiri Nchini kwetu hapo baadae ili kuweza kujua namna mwezi huu tulifanikiwa kukuza uelewa kupitia mashirika mbali mbali na taifa kwa ujumla wake. Kitu ambacho niliweza kukiwasilisha ndani ya mwezi huu ni Maazimio ya namna ya kukabiliana na uhalifu mtandao katika ngazi ya Taifa, Bara Na Duniani kwa ujumla ambapo ni maazimio tuliyo kubaliana kimsingi tulipo kutana Mwaka huu mwezi wa Tano Nchini Afrika kusini.

Wakati nikiwasilisha mada hiyo nimeweza kuulizwa swali la ni jinsi gani maazimio hayo yanaweza kuambatanishwa kwenye ngazi ya Kampuni ndogo ndogo na mashirika mbali mbali ili ambacho nimekua nikihubiri yakua lazima swala la ulinzi mtandao lianzie kwenye ngazi ya mtu binafsi, Makampuni na kuendelea hadi kufikia Dunia nzima kuweza kufanyiwa kazi na kuonyesha Impact.

Nimeamua kuandika andiko hili maalum ambapo nitafafanua Njia Kuu kumi (10) ambazo makampuni na mashirika wanaweza kutumia kukabiliana na uhalifu mtandao sanjari na kuonyesha yanavyo wiana na maazimio tuliyokubaliana kimsingi ambapo yatasaidia kukabiliana na uhalifu mtandao katika ngazi ya kitaifa hadi kidunia.

Mambo yenyewe ni kama ifatavyo:-

NIGERIA LOST N6.2 BLN TO CYBERCRIMES IN 2014, EFCC REVELED

About N6.2 billion was lost to cybercrimes in Nigeria in 2014, according to an official.

Mr Ibrahim Shazali, an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bank Fraud Section, disclosed this in Ilorin on Tuesday at the ongoing Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) workshop for financial journalists.

He said the figure was grossly higher than the N485 million that was lost through the same channels in 2013.

Shazali identified Point of Sales (PoS), ATMs and mobile banking as the major avenues where the cybercrimes were being committed.

He, however, said that while the value of cybercrimes had been growing exponentially, it was comforting that the value of fraudulent transactions was less than one per cent of the total transactions.

“This should not, however, lead to premature sighs of relief as the success rate of attempted fraudulent transactions rose from a mere three per cent to 80 per cent in the space of just one year.”

Shamal said that although banks experienced more external than internal frauds, the actual loss to internal frauds was always far higher than those of external frauds.

He said the lack of a well-defined legal framework for prosecuting cybercrimes and financial frauds had led to poor success rate in the fight against the crimes.

The EFCC official said of the 1,461 suspected fraud cases reported in 2014 only fraudsters in 41 or three per cent of the cases were apprehended.

Shazali said that it had finally dawned on global financial and business leaders that cybercrime was not merely a technology issue, but at the heart of it.

MKUTANO WA WAKUU WA TEHAMA WAMALIZIKA NCHINI KENYA

Kwa mara nyingine CSK kwa kushirikiana na wadau wengine wamefanikiwa kuandaa mkutano ulio husisha wakuu wa TEHAMA ambapo mambo mbali mbali yalipata kujadiliwa. Katika mkutano huo ambapo Binafsi nilikua  Mwalikwa Rasmi ambapo pamoja na mambo mengine niliweza kutoa mafunzo ya namna ya kufanikisha upelelezi wa kitaalam wa uhalifu mtandao pamoja na hali halisi ya uhalifu mtandao duniani kote.

Aidha, Nilipata pia kuzindua kampeni ya Mwezi wa kukuza uelewa wa matumizi salama ya mitandao na kuweza kutoa wito kwa wakuu hao kudumisha utamaduni huu mzuri unaoweza kutoa msaada mkubwa kukabiliana na uhalifu mtandao duniani kote.

                      

@YUSUPHKILEO enjoyed your presentation at leisure Lodge.Am honored to have been part of it.

— kericho kericho (@kerichokericho) October 9, 2015

Pia katika hatua nyingine nilipata kubadilishana mawazo na aliyekua Raisi wa naijeria Generali Obasanjo, ambapo pamoja na mazungumzo mengine nilionesha ndoto yangu ya kuona wakuu wa Nchi za Afrika kuzungumzia swala hili la uhalifu mtandao kwani athari zake zinaonekana wazi na zimekua zikisababisha kuzorotesha Uchumi, Utamaduni, Siasa, Jamii na kadhalika.

RECOGNISING SIGNIFICANCE OF CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS

To start with I would like to recorgnise this "ARTICLE" , It has been an inspiration to rise awareness on the Cybersecurity awareness month. after that, Let me tell that in terms of global communications, the world is going through the most exciting period in human history. Now people are more connected than ever. Internet has been facilitating many things in daily routines.

People connect with friends and family, conduct business and banking online and rely on many services, like transportation and electricity, which are supported with online systems. Technology has spearheaded advancements in healthcare, education, business, music, government, and many other industries.

As technology advances, life becomes easier and more connected. However, being constantly connected brings increased risk of theft, fraud, and abuse. No country, industry, community, or individual is immune to cyber risks.

No doubt there are multiple challenges facing cyberspace today. Despite of the initiatives which are taken by some countries, Cyber terrorism, Cyber war and organised crimes are still considered growing threats.

Chunks of money have been invested by developed countries to facilitate the fight against these crimes. Due to these rapidly growing cyberthreats, the fight against cybercrime has been promoted across the global.

In Tanzania, misuse of social media and other cybercrime activities started getting to the extreme and compelled the country to take stern measures. The Cybercrime Act 2015 became officially effective last month (September 1st). However, having a Cyber law in place is not enough. It’s time for Tanzania to adopt other international initiatives to improve cybersecurity in the country.

IFAHAMU NJIA MADHUBUTI YA KUKABILIANA NA UHALIFU MTANDAO

Naanza Andiko hili kwa kutambua na kuhamasisha Tukio la kipekee katika anga ya usalama mitandao ambalo limekua liki azimishwa kila mwaka katika mwezi wa October ambapo mataifa yanaadhimisha siku ya uelewa wa maswala ya usalama mitandao duniani kote. Kwa mwaka jana katika kuukaribisha mwezi huu Nilipata kuandika katika andiko linalosomeka kwa "KUBOFYA HAPA" na baadae kutoa tathmini ya mwezi katika andiko linalosomeka kwa "KUBOFYA HAPA".

Naimani Mwaka huu Tanzania ita uchukulia mwezi huu kinamna ya kipekee ili kuweza kukuza uelewa kwa watu wake Tukio ambalo nategemea makampuni mbali mbali na maeneo mengine yataandaa program mbali mbali za kukuza uelewa wa maswala ya usalama mitandao ili kuweza kufikiwa malengo yaliyokusudiwa na wanausalama wote mitandao duniani kote.

Aidha, inaaminika kama ilivyo katika uhalifu mwingine wowote ni vigumu kumaliza kabisa tatizo ila kuna njia kadhaa ambazo kwa umoja wake zikifanyiwa kazi vizuri zinaweza kabisa kupunguza kwa kiasi kikubwa sana tatizo la uhalifu mtandao. Tatizo kubwa kubwa ni kua njia hizi zimekua zikiishia katika maandishi baada ya kujadiliwa na wanausalama mitandao ambapo mimi binafsi nilikua miongoni mwao.

Leo nitaangazia njia ambayo imeshika nafasi ya juu na imeonekana na uwezo mkubwa wa kuhimili uhalifu mtandao ambapo imeaminika inauwezo wa kupunguza aina mbili za wahalifu mtandao pamoja na kusababisha aina ya tatu kupungua makali. Kwa ujumla wake imezungumzwa inaweza kupunguza hadi asilimia 71% ya uhalifu wote mtandao kama itafatwa vizuri na kupewa uzito wa kipekee katika mataifa yote.

Njia hii si nyingine bali ni “Awareness Program” Yaani elimu ya uelewa wa uhalufu mtandao na namna ya kujilinda. Elimu hii inatoa fursa kwa mwananchi wa kawaida kutambua aina mbali mbali za uhalifu mtandao, athari zake, njia ya kujilinda, Na Namna ya kulinda wenzake.

Kwa kupata elimu hii wale wote waliokua wakifanya uhalifu mtandao pasi na kujua wanakua na ufahamu wa kutosha na hatimae kundi hili linakua limeondokana na uhalifu mtandao. Aidha, kundi la pili ambalo ni lile linalofanya uhalifuu huu wa mtandao wakiwa hawana namna kwa kutokujua athari zake baada ya kujua athari za uhalifu mtandao kwao na kwa wengine na pia kujua njia mbadala wanazoweza kutumia kuepukana na uhalifu huu kupitia elimu ya uelewa ya usalama mitandao kundi hili linaweza pia likapunguzwa hadi asilimia 84% kwa mujibu wa wataalam wa usalama mitandao.

APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO CYBERATTACKS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED.

Many countries have successfully implemented cyberlaws. Tanzania has cybercrime laws in places with the vision to protect its citizens who are becoming vulnerable of cyberattacks. Laws are to curb the growing cybercrime incidents. It is expected to start being implemented on September first this year (2015).

The law is expected to bring impact in our economic wellbeing – 54.4 Trillion stolen by cybercriminals each year can be saved when this law starts being used. Cyberbullying and other growing cybercrimes are also expected to be reduced effectively in a country once this law is started to be used.

The Cyber law itself is not enough, Capacity building, Awareness program and collaboration to meet target is essential to successfully mitigate these cyber risk in a nation. The three things should go together with the law in order to maximize efficiency to meet the target and to minimize those who commit cybercrimes unknowingly.

Addressing the attacks occurred is also mandatory, Citizens should be aware of the cyber incidence happening for them to take appropriate measure to secure themselves. Recently, Clickjacking hits Tanzania where social media specifically Facebook happened to be most heated. Unfriendly pictures keep on showing up to people’s profiles without their concerns.

There should be a way to address the matter to the citizens so that they will know how to deal with the incidents. In this case not clicking those pictures because by doing so, they will increase the impact of the attack and the spread will eventually be higher. 

  

SHERIA MTANDAO: YASIYOTAJWA ITAKAPO ANZA KUTUMIKA SEPTEMBA MOSI

Zikiwa zimebaki siku chache kuanza kutumika kwa sheria mtandao Nchini Tanzania, Mengi yame endelea kuzungumzwa ikiwa ni pamoja na kurudia mapungufu yaliyopatikana katika sheria ya awali iliyo wasilishwa bungeni na kusambazwa kwa maneno kua sharia hii mtandao ipo kuziba watanzania midomo huku wengine wakizungumzia itakiuka faragha za watanzania. Sheria hii inakuja kusaidia mambo mengi nani wazi mengi hayo yamekua hayazungumzwi kabisa.

Hivi karibuni kupitia mkutano mkuu wa mwaka wa maswala ya usalama mitandao ambapo moja ya mijadala iliangazia sharia hii na kutolea ufafanuzi yale yaliyokua hayajaeleweka vizuri. Binafsi Nilikua mmoja wa washiriki ambapo kwa ujumla wetu tulianisha mambo kadhaa na kuzidi kutoa hofu kwa yale ambay yameendelea kupotoshwa kuelekea matumizi ya sharia hii mtandao. Makala hii itajikita kwenye hayo yasiyo zungumzwa kwa wingi hivi sasa.

Upotevu wa fedha, hivi karibuni akizungumza na Jeshi la polisi waziri wa Mawasiliano,Sayansi na Teknolojia, Profesa Makame Mbarawa alitahadharisha kua shilingi trilioni 54.4 zitakuwepo kwenye hatari ya kuingia katika mikono ya wahalifu wa mitandao, endapo Sheria za Mitandao na Miamala ya fedha haitatumika.

Alianisha kua fedha hizo ni sawa na trioni 4.4 kila mwezi. Profesa Mbarawa amesema fedha hizo lazima zilindwe  kwa kuwekewa sheria zenye kuzuia na kutoa adhabu kwa watu watakaoingilia mihamala ya fedha. Kuzilinda fedha hizo Sheria mtandao haina budi kuwepo ili kuwapa uwezo wahusika kufanya kazi yao ipasavyo.

Udukuzi, Wimbi la udukuzi wa tovuti na mitandao yakijamii na barua pepe za watu binafsi bado ni changamoto nchini – Malalamiko yameendelea kua mengi na hakuna namna nyingine ya kuhimili tatizo pasipokua na sharia mtandao ili kutoa fursa kwa wahalifu hao kuchukuliwa adhabu stahiki.

THE WEEKEST LINK TO THE SECURITY CHAIN

Despite of the growing threats in a cyberspace, only some organizations consider the situation critical and place well organized security measures in place. These few organization are investing much on the tools to make their organizations secure. Again the very important note security experts keep on emphasizing has been forgotten – The weakest links.

Humans are the weakest link to the security chain, they can be the reason to the security breach to any organization despite of the best implementations of the security tools in organization – There is no patch for humans. This is why cybersecurity awareness programs have been strongly recommended to minimize the risks.

Recently, Kasperky has done a “SURVEY” named consumer security risks survey 2014: multi-device threats in a multi-device world which was released last month (July, 2015) According to a survey conducted by Kasperky Lab and B2B International, women have been found to be less aware of cyberthreats.

However, in light of this and in celebration of National Women’s Day on 9 August 2015 in South Africa, Kaspersky Lab, along with B2B International, intend to not only make woman more aware of online cyberthreats – but also protect them against it.

Both Kasperky Lab and B2B International are encouraging all women, this Women’s Day, to expand on their knowledge of online security protection.

According to the survey, only 19% of women believe they may fall victim to cybercriminals while every fourth man (25%) considers it possible. Moreover, according to the survey women generally know less about cyberthreats than men. For example, 27% of men and 38% of women are unaware of ransomware; 23% of men and 34% of women know little about mobile malware; 21% of men and 34% of women have a limited idea what an exploit is.

This lack of awareness can cause a user to pay less attention to protecting themselves against cyberthreats. When they allow other people (children, friends, colleagues, etc.) to use their main device, 36% of women do nothing to protect their data because they “see no risk”. Only 28% of men behave in the same way. 75% of men and 68% of women make back-up copies. 13% of women have no security solutions on their devices, compared with 10% of men.

USALAMA MITANDAO: TANZANIA INA CHA KUJIFUNZA KUTOKA KENYA.

Nimekamilisha vikao vya usalama mitandao vilivyofanyikia jijini Nairobi kufuatia mualiko maalum nilioupata. Katika vikao hivyo niliwasilisha mada mbili (ya kwanza ikiwa ni namna ya kukabiliana na uhalifu mtandao na mada ya pili ikiwa ni namna ya uchunguzi wa makosa ya digitali kitaalam) katika mada hizo mbili ambazo zilipokelewa vizuri na kupelekea mijadala ya kipekee kuna mengi  nikajifunza kutoka kwa washiriki. Aidha, nilishiriki mijadala duara iliyojikita katika changamototo mbali mbali za uhalifu mitandao na kuiangazia sharia mtandao ya nchi ya Kenya.

Kenya ni miongoni mwa nchi tatu barani afrika ambazo zimeorodheshwa kua na uhalifu mkubwa sana wa kimtandao nyingine ni Nigeria pamoja na Afrika ya kusini. Tukijadili takwimu za kutisha duniani kote, tulishuka na kuangazia bara la Afrika na baadae Afrika mashariki na hatimae kujikita na twakwimu za Nchi ya Kenya.

Kwa upande wa Kenya kwa mujibu wa takwimu zilizo wasilishwa katika mkutano, hadi kufikia Mwezi wa saba mwaka huu (2015) kuna simu 34.8 Milioni  huku watumiaji wakiwa ni 26.0 Milioni. Aidha, matumizi ya intaneti ni 29.1 milioni ambayo ni sawa na 65% “penetration”. Takwimu hizo zinasindikizwa na upotevu wa dola za kimarekani 20 milioni ($20 Mil) kila mwaka kutokana na uhalifu mtandao.

Palizungumzwa matukio ya kudukuliwa kwa tovuti Nchini humo ambapo, tovuti za serikali 103 ziliathiriwa mwaka 2013, na 3 kwa mwaka wa 2014 huku twitter ya serikali mwaka jana (2014) ikiwa ni miongoni mwa zilizo dukuliwa na kutumiwa vibaya. Nilihoji tofauti kubwa ya udukuzi wa tovuti na kujulishwa baada ya tukio la aina yake la mwaka 2013 serikali iliamua kuzifunga tuvuti zake nyingi hasa zile zilizo onekana hazina umuhimu sana kua hewani kitu ambacho kilichangia kupunguza namba kubwa ya udukuzi kwa mwaka 2014.

Kwa upande wa pesa zinazopotea kwa nyia ya simu – Miamala inayo fanywa kwa njia ya simu ni asilimia kumi (10%) ya fedha za miamala yote kila mwezi huku idadi hiyo kuonekana kushtusha wengi.

Ikumbukwe nchi ya Kenya, matumizi mabaya ya mitandao ilipelekea kuchochea na kusababisha vurugu ilisababisha matatizo makubwa sana kipindi cha uchaguzi kilichopita ambapo kwa mujibu wa mchambuzi mmoja wa maswala ya uchanguzi alichapisha andiko na kueleza mitandao ilikua chanzo kikubwa cha kueneza chuki na fujo kipindi cha uchaguzi uliopita.

THE NEED OF CAPACITY BUILDING TO MINIMIZE SKILLS SHORTAGE IN THE FIELD OF CYBERSECURITY

The CEO of the world's largest security software vendor Symantec has said in reports that the demand for the cybersecurity workforce is expected to rise by 6 million professionals globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million. That will leave companies and information less protected than they should be against cybercriminals.

Apparently, despite of skills shortage in the field of cybersecurity – There is a very low effort done to increase the number of experts in the field. I have said several times we have a small number of people with cybersecurity knowledge divided into three groups. The ones who protect our cyberspace (Good ones), the ones who do our cyberspace harm (Cybercriminals) and those who are in between (A very big number are in this group)

As the time goes on – We keep losing good ones because of misusing their skillsets. Sadly, with companies facing more cybersecurity threats every year, the importance of cybersecurity experts is climbing. 

Ruben Portillo, who oversees issues like cybersecurity for Northeast Independent School District's Safety Department, said the necessity for cybersecurity even expands to the public sector.

"The districts (are) going into a paperless system more and more, so as we do so, we put a lot more stuff online and a lot more information online and it's important we have security," Portillo said.

Portillo joined other security enforcers and local business owners at a video conference Wednesday at Northeast Lakeview College. 

Richard Harris, director of Homeland Security's Cyber Infrastructure Resilience Division, led the conference, teaching organizations how to protect their data against cyber threats.

Part of that, he said, has to do with the number of experts helping fight those threats.

"Even though government has a cybersecurity workforce issue itself, it's really important that the critical industry develop their workforce," Harris said.

KONGAMANO LA C2C LAKAMILIKA – USALAMA MITANDAO WAJADILIWA SIKU ZOTE MBILI

Nchi ya Tanzania ya bahatika tena kwa mara ya tatu kua mwenyeji wa mkutano wa “Connect 2 Connect” ambapo kauli mbiu ya mwaka huu imekua ni Kuunganisha bara la afrika mwambao hadi mwambao. Katika hotuba iliyotolewa siku ya kwanza katika ufunguzi wa mkutano huo ili elezea changamoto kubwa za usalama mitandao na namna unavyoweza kuleta athiri kwa kiwango kikubwa endapo usalama huu mtandao hautaangaziwa macho. Hotuba hiyo pamoja na mjadala nilio ongoza kwa siku ya kwanza unaweza kusomeka na kuonekana kwa “KUBONYEZA HAPA”.

Mkutano huu wa mara hii uliokusanya washiriki kutoka katika mataifa 30 duniani kote  ulihusisha wafanya maamuzi ya juu, watengeneza sera na wadau wengine kadhaa ambapo Mawaziri na Manaibuwaziri  wa Nchi kadhaa wkiwa ni miongoni mwa waliopata kuongoza mijadala pamoja na kuunganisha mawazo katika maswala mbali mbali ya barani Afrika.

Kongamano hili la mwaka huu lililoandaliwa kwa kushirikiana wizara ya Mawasiliano, Sayansi na Teknolojia  pamoja na kampuni ya simu ya TTCL limeonyesha mafanikio makubwa sana kwa kuwezesha kauli mbiu ya mwaka huu kufikiwa kwa kiasi kikubwa kupitia mijadala mbali mbali iliyo jadiliwa katia kongamano hili.

Mbali na mada nyingine mbai mbali – Kwa siku zote mbili za mkutano huu mijaadala mizito ya usalama mtandao ilipata kujadiliwa kwa kina ambapo nilipata bahati ya kuongoza mjadala wa siku ya kwanza na kuhutubia kwa siku ya pili juu ya maswala ya usalama mitandao. 

Katika hotuba yangu ya siku ya pili katika mkutano huu nilipata kuangazia hali ilivyo duniani kote na kueleza kwa kifupi kuhusiana na Mkutano mkuu wa mwaka ulioangazia maswala ya usalama mitandao jijini Johannesburg ambapo pia nilihutubia kwa niaba ya Bara la Afrika tulipo kutana wataalam wa maswala haya katika ngazi ya dunia. Zaidi niliweza kuainisha mapungufu makuu tuliyo nayo yanayo sababisha vita dhidi ya uhalifu mtandao kuenekana kutushinda kutokana na uhalifu huu mtandao kuendelea kushamiri.

MANAGING CYBERSECURITY RISK TO MINIMIZE CYBERTHREATS

As the Connect to connect summit started on 28^th of July 2015, one of the key things addressed was the cybersecurity. From an opening speech -  The Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology noted the issue of cyber threats being one of the serious problems to any country if right measures to minimize the risk are not implemented.

Added to that, I took part in a Workshop (Panel discussion) discussing the trends of cybersecurity where we agreed that cyber threats have become a top concern for today’s security, risk, finance, legal and technology leaders. With notable data breaches leading evening newscasts and malicious e-mails zipping through inboxes, the Internet is quickly becoming a combat zone. And the war rages on not only between white hats and black hats, but also with outside parties, such as government officials, who are paying increasing attention to the issue.

As businesses prepare to fend off large-scale attacks, they often overlook the lesser-publicized threats that don’t reach for news headlines as often. If left unmonitored, these smaller threats can wreak just as much havoc on a company’s bottom line and brand reputation as the large ones. Thankfully, the information required to identify these risks and the tools to mitigate them often don’t even need a third party to become involved.

Therefore, politicians are not as likely to invest their time and rallying power into these threats — but that doesn’t mean the long-lasting impact is any less potent.

USHIRIKIANO NI MUHIMU KATIKA UTHIBITI WA UHALIFU MTNDAO

Itakumbukwa Mwishoni mwa mwezi wa tano mwaka huu katika hotuba yangu niliyo iwasilisha kwa wanausalama mitandao tulipo kutana  jijini Johannesburg mbali na mambo mengine nilihimiza sana ushirikiano baina yetu kwani wahalifu mtandao wameendelea kua mbele yetu kutokana na ushirikiano mkubwa waliokua nao. Ushirikiano unao mabatana na kusambaza vitendea uhalifu mtandao bure auu kwa gharama nafuu mitandaoni.

Baada ya kulizungumza hili laushirikiano wazungumzaji wengine wote walionekana kuniunga mkono na hatimae kuonekana ni swala muhimu lakufanyiwa kazi mapema. Nafarijika kuona Uingereza tayari mukuu wake wa CERT ametilia mkazo kauli hii (Ya ushirikiano) kupitia kikao kilicho malizika London ambapo taarifa kamili kuhusiana na hili inaweza kusomeka kwa “KUBOFYA HAPA”

Aidha, Marekani na Israel baada ya kutia saini makubaliano ya kuboresha ushirikiano katika maswala ya usalama mitandao paliambatana na kuhimiza mataifa mengine kuona umuhimu wa kushirikiana katika vita hii ya uhalifu mtandao.

Nilipata kuzungumza tena katika mkutano wa wanausalama Nchini Cyprus ambapo pia nilizungumza kwa mara ya kwanza kuhusiana na ushirikiano huku nikipongeza umoja wa ulaya kwa kuungana kwao katika hili la usalama mitandao kupitia chombo chao kiitwacho ENISA kinacho hudumia mataifa yote yaliyo ndani muungano wa nchi za ulaya katika maswala ya Usalama mitandao.

US EXPECTS MORE MASSIVE CYBERATTACKS

It is no longer a matter of if the U.S. will fall victim to massive cyberattacks, it is just a matter of when. At least that seems to be the consensus of the National Security Agency, among other high-profile watchdogs.

The NSA recently stated that the country needs to be prepared for the possibility of more high-level cyberattacks — attacks like the one which targeted the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), leaving millions of sensitive government records exposed. And considering the massive attack is believed to have gone undetected for a year, there’s certainly plenty of cause for concern.

Last week the U.S. government confirmed the two cyberattacks on OPM ultimately compromised over 21 million Social Security numbers, 19.7 million forms with data and 1.1 million fingerprint records, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTED.

Navy Admiral Michael Rogers, who currently serves as both the Director of NSA and Commander of the U.S. military Cyber Command, is quite sure this will not be the last time attacks of this magnitude hit the U.S.

“I don’t expect this to be a one-off,” Rogers said while speaking at the London Stock Exchange as part of an effort to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats in the financial sector, adding the incidents have forced the government to take a closer look at its cybersecurity policies, WSJ reported.

While no official communication may be sent to victims of the recent attacks for some time, OPM confirmed anyone who went through a security clearance background investigation performed by the office since 2000 should assume their information was affected by the data breach.

Earlier this month the agency outlined the steps it plans to take in order to assist potential victims. The office will offer a comprehensive suite of monitoring and protection services to individuals whose sensitive information was compromised, including full service identity restoration support and victim recovery assistance and identity theft insurance.

MKURUGENZI MKUU WA CERT YA UINGEREZA AUNGA MKONO KAULI YA WANAUSALAMA MITANDAO

Bwana Chris Gibson, Mkurugenzi mkuu wa CERT (Computer Emergence Response Team) ya Nchini Uingereza yenye dhamana ya kubaini na kudhibiti uhalifu mtandao nchini humo ametangaza rasmi kuunga mkono kauli  ya mwaka huu ya wanausalama mitandao ambayo Niliizungumzia rasmi na kuitolea ufafanuzi katika mkutano wa wanausalama mitandao tulipo kutana jijini Johannesburg mwaka huu mwezi wa Tano mwishoni.

Kauli hii ya ushirikiano nilipo izungumzia, wataalam wote katika mkutano huo waliiunga mkono na sasa kupitia mkutano wa wanausalama mitandao wanchi ya uingereza uliokamilika Jijini London Mkuurugenzi mkuu wa CERT ya nchini Uingereza amesisitizia  hili kwa kusema vita dhidi ya uhalifu mtandao itakua ngumu kama ushirikiano utakua hafifu.

Itakumbukwa mwaka 2013 CERT ya uingereza ilizindua CISP – Cybersecurity Information Sharing Partnership, iliyodhamiria kutoa fursa ya kukuza ushirikiano wa kubadilishana taarifa za uhalifu mtandao nchini humo huku mashirika binafsi na serikali zikitegemewa kupiga hatua dhidi ya uhalifu mtandao.

Hili la kushirikiana kwa taarifa za uhalifu mitandao baina ya makampuni pamoja na serikali nililitolea ufafanuzi katika mkutano wa wanausalama mitandao 2014 Nchini Cyprus na kusema imefika wakati makampuni yakawa na tabia ya kutoa twakwimu stahiki za uhalifu mtandao sanjari na inteligensia ya uhalifu huu ili kuhakiki namna ya uhalifu huu unavyo fanyika unabainishwa na kutoa fursa ya udhibiti kupatikana mapema.

Maelezo hayo ambayo baadae yaliweza kuingizwa katika moja ya jarida la usalama mitandao, Nilielezea kwa kina namna hatua ya ushirikiano wa kupeana taarifa za uhalifu mtandao baina ya Makampuni inavyoweza kusababisha uhalifu ulioathiri kampuni moja au nchi moja kutojirudia kwa nyingine kwani tayari kutakua na ufahamu wa uhalifu usika kutokana na kushirikiana katika kubadilishana taarifa za uhalifu mtandao baina ya makampuni au Nchi.

Aidha, katika kuongezea juu ya hili bado naona changamoto kubwa  kwa mataifa mengi ikiwemo Tanzania ni kutokuwepo na mikakati madhubuti ya kutambua na kubaini uhalifu mtandao sanjari na kuchukua hatua za haraka kudhibiti mara unapokua umetokea kituambacho kimeendelea kusababisha uhalifu huu kuendelea kushika kasi zaidi hivi sasa.