Cyber Security Authority records 41,285 contacts- Dr. Antwi-Boasiako
By Elvis DARKO, Accra
The National Cyber Security Authority has recorded 41,285 contacts between October 2019 and July 2023.
Some 3,584 of the contacts representing 9% have been categorised as incidents.
The remaining 37,559 representing 91% were direct advisories given to citizens.
Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako announced this at the Minister’s Press Briefing where the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) slated for October was launched.
He said the media launch sets in motion a month-long national cybersecurity awareness creation that will assemble public and private sector players, cybersecurity professionals, the academia, and representatives from civil society organisations, in preparation for the NCSAM as it seeks to encourage every Ghanaian to stay digitally alert.
According to him, top reported incidents include; Online fraud-45% (Online Shopping Fraud, Job Recruitment Fraud, Advance Fee Fraud, Romance Scam, Investment Fraud among others), Online Blackmail-13%, Unathorised Access-10% (Account Takeover, Phishing, etc), Cyber Bullying-9% (Fake Loan Apps) and Online Impersonation/Identity theft-8%.
He explained that the modus operadi employed by the threat actors in conducting these crimes is social engineering which involves the use of deceptive and manipulative tactics to exploit human psychology and persuade individuals (most not cyber aware) to reveal confidential information, perform actions, or make decisions that are not in their best interest.
According to the Groupe Special Mobile Association (GSMA) Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) 2023 report, Ghana is ranked 4th in Africa with a score of 51.4% depicting significant progress in connectivity over the past five years.
In the same report, Ghana had a score of 86.69% in Online Security (a key dimension of the index) consistent with the country’s score on the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).
Ghana’s internet penetration rate i.e., internet users in 2023 stands at 23.05 million representing 68.2% of the total population. Out of this, 6.6 million (19.5%) are active social media users contributing to the country’s 13th rank on the list of countries that spend considerable time on the internet.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako said Ghana’s effort at ensuring a culture of digital safety is borne out of the country’s cyberculture and societal dimension derived from the cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model (CMM) assessment commissioned by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation in January 2018.
This assessment was conducted by the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) of the University of Oxford in collaboration with the World Bank.
Key among the critical issues captured by the assessment included the lack of cybersecurity consciousness and awareness among the Ghanaian public.
Also captured were inadequate security measures for government e-services with knowledge gaps in fundamental cybersecurity concepts.
Following these shortfalls, he said the CSA is seeking to leverage the NCSAM 2023 to address the concerns raised in the assessment hence the theme, ‘Promoting a Culture of Digital Safety’.
He noted that the theme highlights the importance of cultivating a collective mindset and behaviour that values and promotes responsible online practices, cybersecurity awareness, and the protection of personal information.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako said the CSA, as a regulatory institution, and as part of measures to introduce sanity into the cybersecurity sector has commenced the process of licensing Cybersecurity Service Providers (CSPs) and accrediting Cybersecurity Establishments (CEs) and Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs).
The exercise commenced in March 2023, with a September 30, 2023, deadline.
This is to ensure that only licensed and accredited entities are lawfully empowered to engage in business.
He announced that the Public Procurement Authority is collaborating with them to enforce the guidelines on the on-going regulation pursuant to Sections 57 and 58 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako stated that the collaboration will harmonise the processes of public procurement in the public service to secure a judicious, economic, and efficient use of state resources and provide a streamlined mechanism for guaranteeing that cybersecurity service providers, establishments and professionals in the country execute their duties in accordance with approved international standards.
