If you missed yesterday’s conference on Africa’s cybersecurity culture, no worries, I’ve got a summary rundown for you. The virtual conference had a commendable set of guest speakers and panelist from various parts of the continent. Speakers and panelist presented on both glows and grows regarding the culture of cybersecurity across Africa. Topics included; contributing factors to cybersecurity needs and challenges, the human element, COVID-19 implications, and the severe need for contextual data that is more representative of the uniqueness and variance of the African demographics.
Steve Jump, Outgoing Head of Corporate Information Security Governance at Telekom SA, highlighted “What We Did Right, and How To Do It Better” regarding the need for businesses to pivot in a timely manner and have effective continuity plans especially in areas where having a laptop is a luxury. He also expressed how this new business format makes for a more challenging environment for technical versus practical communication – as many of us can relate.
Charl Van Der Dwalt, Head of Security Research at Orange CyberDefense, spoke on the contributing factors to cyber-security culture. These included: geopolitical/structural forces, technology evolution/adoption into society, and Seismic forces which would require changes in human behaviour. The COVID-19 lock-down has triggered cybersecurity implications for many who now telework from their homes. Mr. Dwalt re-iterated the emerging-threats landscape reminding cyber-security professionals to focus on the basics; prepare for attacks, because they’re inevitable, and to respond swiftly as needed.
Kai Roer, Managing Director of CLTRe focused on the human factors that influence the culture of cybersecurity, especially in Africa. He noted how the social customs and norms of African cultures influence the attitudes and behaviors towards cybersecurity, especially regarding sharing of sensitive data. Nowadays, technology drives human behaviour; more data is needed to better understand the correlations and future implications. CLTRe research publications are available here and Mr. Roer strongly advocated for greater data representation from African nations/demographics.
The esteemed panelists discussed the need for a cultural shift in upper management’s awareness and acknowledgement of the need for cybersecurity tools; as Aprielle Oichoe, Dir.of Infosphere Limited, stated approximately 95% of African companies are unprepared for a security breach, and additional research/information is needed given that Africa is fairly new to the scene. Cephas Okoth, CEO of Cyber In Africa stated “cybersecurity is not just a business concern, it’s a national issue”
Some memorable tips from speakers included:
- Security awareness needs to be fun, personal, and practical to engage your demographics
- “Tell me -I forget, Show me -I remember, Teach me -I understand.” -Proverb
- How do we get folks to change behavior? Make it personal, know their why.
- Everyone is ignorant only on different subjects -change training culture; don’t shame folks for not knowing better
- Minimize language barriers, make content relatable, backup/store your content securely.
The importance of
across the African continent is directly linked to the human element; cultural norms, political agendas, as well as both private and public sector initiatives regarding the future of e-commerce and its ever-changing landscape. Although data collection remains dismal, there’s yet hope for better future participation as more people gain access to mobile technology and more reliable connectivity throughout the various regions. COVID-19 has interrupted business-flow well as social life and cyber-security has not been spared the unintended adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, this new normal gives great opportunity to re-imagine African future of cybersecurity culture integral to the ‘new-normal.’
If you’d like to review the recording click here
