NAIROBI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- About 50 percent of critical information systems are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats such as hacking and data breaches, a Kenyan official said on Thursday.
Emmanuel Kata Kimeu, secretary of information and communications technology (ICT) security and audit control at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, told journalists in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that the financial sector faces most threats of cybersecurity intrusion, attacks, hacking and destabilization due to the rapid uptake of mobile banking.
"Information systems used for telemedicine, e-learning and transport navigation are also in the high-risk zone for cyber threats," Kimeu said during the launch of the National Cyber Risk Assessment report, which was prepared by the Communications Authority of Kenya and National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee, and identified a national risk assessment framework of assets and resources in critical sectors that could be vulnerable to cybercriminals.
Kimeu said Kenya is prioritizing cyber risk mitigation through a risk treatment plan that includes hiring more cyber professionals to secure critical information systems.
He said the country's cyber governance regime is at its formative stages across most sectors and needs to be strengthened through enhanced investments.
Jackson Makewa, director of ICT and cybersecurity at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, said malware and ransom are the most critical cyber threat vectors.
Makewa added that Kenya is implementing interventions such as information sharing, cyber threat intelligence, and vulnerability disclosure to counter cybersecurity threats. ■
