Kenya has in the recent past suffered from Internet Security threats such as hacking,impersonations, loss of money, loss of information and even exposure of confidential information. The attacks are mainly targeted at individuals, banks, financial institutions and government institutions.
A report by Deloitte named Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions 2017, ranked Kenya as one of the most vulnerable countries worldwide in terms of cyber security. Kenya has a current internet penetration of 85.3 percent, one of the highest in Africa.The report showed companies and government organizations in Kenya lost a record of US$171 million through cybercrime in 2016 and this is expected to rise by 30 percent by the end of 2017.
To help reduce cyber security threats in Kenya, ESET East Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding (M.O.U) with @iLabAfrica- Strathmore University. ESET will support Strathmore University’s current academic programs on cyber-security, through collaborative research and benchmarking approaches on issues of local interest such as ethical hacking, phishing and ransomware studies. Teddy Njoroge, Country Manager ESET East Africa, said the company will explore joint opportunities with like-minded partners and contribute assets in developing innovative cyber-security solutions targeting both blue chip businesses and Small and Medium Enterprises over the next one year.
Estimates indicate that Kenya has just about 1000 certified cyber-security specialists, way lower than the optimal 40,000 needed “The rise of cyber-crime and related information security incidents in the country can be attributed to this shortage of personnel coupled by the slow development of homegrown research driven solutions” said Collins Oduor the Information Technology Security Manager for @iLabAfrica centre.
@iLabAfrica offers customized cyber-security training in ethical hacking(CEH), computer hacking forensic investigation as well as certified security analyst courses to about 200 graduate and undergraduate students annually – drawn from the financial services sector, government agencies and academia.
Among other agreements, under the M.O.U with ESET East Africa, @iLabAfrica- Strathmore University plans to develop and introduce additional courses on emerging technologies and skills to tackle new cyber threats such as Internet of Things (IoT) Security, Security for Industrial Control Systems, Cyber security for Executives, Advance Malware Analysis and Secure Application Development among others.
It’s no longer a secret that the current upsurge of the Coronavirus
pandemic has disrupted normal operations in a lot of companies. An increasing
number of workers are being forced to work from home or any other convenient
places away from their company premises.
However, due to a sharp increase in the search volumes for the term Coronavirus, malicious developers are updating their toolkits with malicious links, sites, and Coronavirus-themed scams to capitalize on unsuspecting victims.
Therefore, as an employee working from home, you need to enforce
adequate measures to counter such cybercrime threats. In this post, we take a
look at five sure tips that can help you secure your home network. Let’s dig
in!
1.
Check the default settings in your
home router
Your home router is the engine of your home network. Without it,
your PC can’t communicate with others on the net. This makes them a primary
target for any cybercriminal out there.
In most cases, hackers will try to hack into your home router, and
if successful, hijack your Wi-Fi traffic and finally have access to your
network.
To prevent such an occurrence, you need to check your router’s
settings and change the defaults. This means that you will first need to gain
access to your router’s control panel before you make the changes.
Here are the steps:
Open your browser and switch on your home network
Type something like http://192.168.1.1 in your browser
From the router configuration center page, you will be directed to change all the settings that can affect your security. For instance, your default user-names and passwords currently in your router.
Change your SSID (name of your home network), which stems from the fact that cybercriminals can use it to launch an attack. Case in point, taking a look at the SSIDs of Wi-Fi networks detected from my apartment shows that many of my neighbors are using Huawei routers; which can be free fodder for an attacker.
To create strong and unique passwords, you can utilize the ESET password manager. One significant advantage of using such is that you don’t need to remember a lot. A single long phrase can be used to manage all your other account passwords with a few clicks.
2. Kick-off any unwanted devices from your home network
Unrecognized devices hovering around your home network pose a significant threat to your system, as they can access your vital documents and credentials without your knowledge.
To fix this situation, you can subscribe to ESET Smart Security Premium, where you’ll enjoy the services of a home connected scanning tool, which can identify pesky neighbors who have been secretly using your Wi-Fi connection. After which you can flush them out from your network and finally change your passwords.
3. Get the latest firmware for your home router – or purchase a new one in case you have a legacy router
A recent discovery
by the ESET team of how Wi-Fi chips are vulnerable to attacks brings to the
fore, the importance of continually updating your home router’s system software
to the latest manufacturer’s standards.
If you discover that you’re utilizing a legacy router, then it’s
time you should opt for a new home router.
As a rule of thumb, grab one that has better security measures; such
as those from the Gryphon brand that integrates
threat intelligence.
This impressive technology provided by ESET enables the router to
detect and block malware, phishing sites, as well as other threats that might
invade your home network system.
For more information about the current configuration options for your home router, you can check out this blog post.
4. Communicate through a virtual private network
To discreetly pass information over public networks to evade the
ever-present prying eyes, you can enlist the services of a VPN.
It provides a safe tunnel for communication by encrypting your data
and sending them in small packets across the network. Decryption only happens
at the end of the tunnels, which ensures that your data is safe.
5. Make use of the two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure your remote access
Factually, the Remote desktop protocol (RDP) responsible for the
security of remote systems has often been prone to attacks, especially where no
proper protection is in place.
Cybercriminals, for instance, can hack a system’s RDP through brute-forcing
their way in or social engineering passwords out of employees.
Fortunately, with technology such as theESET Secure Authentication or ESET’s two-factor authentication (2FA) solution, you can secure doubly remote access technologies such as the RDP and VPN, as well as employee credentials.
The double layer of protection emanates from the fact that a 2FA
solution requires an employee to enter a one-time code that is delivered to
them through an authentication app or SMS, in addition to the usual corporate
user-name and password.
As a result, an attacker can not have access to your information or
credentials even if they compromise your password.
Final thoughts
Having a cyber secure home office is the way to go if companies are to realize their end goals without suffering significant setbacks due to the prevalent data security threats. ESET has been here for you for over 30 years. We want to assure you that we will be here to protect your online activities during these uncertain times, too. Protect yourself from threats to your online security with an extended trial of our award-winning software.
Working together with your children for a better online experience
Beginning in 2004, Safer Internet Day has grown to become one of the landmark events in the online safety calendar. And this year’s theme, ‘Together for a better internet’, encapsulates a lot of the discussion we are seeing around online safety and cybersecurity. The topic is too complex a minefield for any of us to bear sole responsibility and, like all good things in life, we need to work together to bring about the best possible future.
What does it mean to work together where online safety is concerned? It could be an IT security company working closely with a consultation of parents to develop products, or parents and teachers working to ensure the online education of our young people. But what about children themselves? We put a lot of onus on finding the right solutions and products to protect our kids online, but one day those kids will grow up and live without online parental control. We should think about the best way to prepare them; ‘together for a better internet’ should mean working with our children to educate, inform and protect them, so they can stand the best possible change of making the right decisions for themselves.
That’s not to say that software doesn’t play a crucial role, and ESET would encourage all parents to take care over choosing the right parental control software on the family computer. When you are doing this though, we advise you do it together with your kids. Talk them through the programmes you’re installing and select your privacy settings together, discussing why you are doing it and the kinds of threats you’re protecting the family against. As part of this conversation you can talk to your children about what they’re doing online, who they’re talking to and what kinds of things they need to be careful about in day to day online. Many kids see control settings on the internet as a block to them having fun; what they need is someone to explain their function and reasoning. By having this discussion, you’re giving your kids an element of control and responsibility over their online activities which, when paired alongside the rules and software we all need to protect ourselves, should produce better results when it comes to their internet education.
The internet is such an integral part of our lives that the earlier you start talking to kids, involving them and teaching them about their online worlds, the better the results. Creating an open dialogue will always be more effective than just putting your foot down.
Set an example; whatever you expect your kids to do, make sure you are also doing. The online world represents dangers for all of us and we can all benefit from a few more precautions. If you’re asking your kids to cover their webcam when they’re not using it, then make sure you also do it. If you’re restricting their screen time, then think about setting yourself some boundaries as well. With the damaging effects of too many screens on our health and wellbeing, it’s unlikely to have any negative repercussions.
ESET’s software, such as its ESET Parental Control, places a large emphasis on parents and children working together. It helps them to navigate online, manage what apps and websites they use, and decide – together – what’s good for them. One of the key features is age-based filters which helps to manage which apps children can and cannot access, allowing parents to consider the right restrictions for their children and to not just impose a blanket ban. Other features include setting time limits on when children can play on their devices and creating exceptions that kids can request. Parents can even send their children messages which they must acknowledge before they can continue to use their devices.
It’s elements such as these that allow children to be involved in the monitoring of their safety, and truly help parents to work together with their kids for a better internet and the best possible online world.
ESET East Africa
