Kenya ranks as the third most targeted country in Africa for cyber attacks, according to official government data, with 860 million attacks recorded in the past 12 months alone.
According to data shared by the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team and Coordination Centre through the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), South Africa and Nigeria were ranked 1st and 2nd respectively.
The data shows that 79 per cent of the attacks were a result of cyber criminals exploiting flaws and vulnerabilities in organisations' internal controls and information systems.
Most of these attacks, according to the report, targeted Critical Information Infrastructure.
The statement also highlighted other forms of cyberattacks affecting the country including, Malicious software (14 per cent), Distributed Denial of Services (DDoS) (6.5 per cent) and attacks targeted at web applications.
Malicious software refers to any intrusive software such as computer viruses, developed by cybercriminals to steal data and damage or destroy computers and computer systems.
DDoS attacks, on the other hand, involve a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal flow of traffic to a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of Internet traffic. This is basically like a digital traffic jam.
Web application attacks occur when hackers inject malicious code into web applications, exploiting these vulnerabilities to access sensitive information such as bank account details, medical records, and identity card numbers.
While the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team and Coordination Centre is constantly working to counter cyberattacks, evolving technological innovations have advanced the frequency and sophistication of these attacks leaving Kenyans a vulnerable bunch.
Consequently, the agency proposes several proactive measures that Kenyans can take to protect themselves against cybercrime.
These include utilizing secure internet connections, using unique passwords, refraining from saving passwords in web browsers, installing genuine antivirus software on devices, and regularly updating computer operating systems.
