from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – DIGITAL transformation has proven a curse in disguise for Kenya as cyber attacks in the East African country exceed the global average.
This year, globally, the average number of weekly attacks experienced by organisations was 870.
In comparison, Kenya’s businesses have seen 1 408 cyber attacks a week over the last six months.
“It’s alarming to think that Kenyan businesses are dealing with almost 540 more weekly cyber attacks than their peers across the globe,” said Pankaj Bhula, Check Point’s Regional Director for Africa.
“This signals an urgent need for Kenya’s businesses to take a proactive approach to cyber security solutions, while focusing on company-wide education on security hygiene to keep users and the business safe online.
Statistics from the Check Point Research Threat Intelligence Report for Kenya highlight the prevalence of the scourge in the nation.
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), who may not have prioritised cyber security in their start-up phases, are most vulnerable.
“The Kenya Association of Manufacturers notes that MSMEs contribute around 40 percent of the GDP, a development that can have a huge ripple effect on East Africa’s largest economy,” Bhula said.
Check Point’s report also notes that malware attacks affected 13 percent of businesses in the country.
Of the most common malware, which includes botnets and cryptominers, Check Point identified the most prevalent as Floxif.
Around 13 percent of local businesses were impacted by it. Globally, this malware managed to infect over 2 million users in 2017, including large tech companies.
From a global perspective, the public sector falls within the top five industries most targeted in cyber-attacks, with government and military organisations experiencing 1 229 cyber-attacks per week on average. In Kenya, this figure is 2 765.
However, globally, financial institutions experience a weekly average of 760 cyber attacks. In Kenya, the number of attacks is slightly lower at 745.
Kenya is Africa’s seventh largest economy.
– CAJ News