The growing spectre of cybercrime
ONE of the very few silver-linings of the Covid-19 has been increased use of the internet and the inevitable acceleration of electronic commerce (e-commerce). But businesses, even those operating locally now face an underlying danger.
Latest data from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) expectedly showed growth in internet and data usage over the third quarter to September 30, 2020.
According to the telecommunications sector regulator, mobile internet and data traffic grew by 43 percent to record 14,878TB in the third quarter of 2020 from 10,407TB recorded in the second quarter of 2020.
Over the same period, Used International Internet Bandwidth Capacity increased by 16,8 percent to record 149,665Mbps from 128,173Mbps recorded in the previous quarter.
And going forward, internet and data traffic is expected to continue growing due to the increased adoption of e-learning, telecommuting, and e-conferencing.
But behind these positive gains lies the danger of cybercrime. Earlier this year, an International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on cybercrime showed a “significant target shift from individuals and small businesses to major corporations, governments, and critical infrastructure”.
For instance, the assessment found that in fourmonth period (January to April) some 907 000 spam messages, 737 incidents related to malware and 48 000 malicious URLs — all related to Covid19 — were detected by one of Interpol’s private sector partners. The dangers to local businesses cannot be underestimated. A player in the local insurance sector, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity, recently told this publication that there are growing concerns about the efficiency of digital security systems within the sector.
“Going paperless will entail greater use of electronic signatures. And the issue of security around electronic signatures for the processing of claims and other payments is key.
“What Covid-19 brought to the fore was the need to enhance capacity for people to be able to work remotely but still be able to access servers located at head offices,” he said.
The authorities have taken note of the issue. “Business systems have increasingly been inter-connected and new vulnerabilities are being discovered and exploited at an alarming pace. A single vulnerability, engagement with a phishing e-mail or a single unpatched device, for example, is all that is needed for a cyber-attack to occur. When it comes to cyber-security, businesses and individuals must take a holistic approach,” said ICT, Courier and Postal Services Minister Jenfan Muswere recently.
“There is no doubt that malicious cyber activity is increasing in frequency, scale, sophistication, and also in its impact. This activity harms our national security and economic interests.
“We have seen reports of online predators engaging in identity theft and stealing money from consumers’ accounts, misleading advertisements for people to deposit money in criminals’ accounts and some have been defrauded using mobile financial services,” he added.
“As Government, we would like to urge service providers and consumers to be aware of this threat and be cautious at all times as online fraud is on the increase.”
Meanwhile, the Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill, is now at its second reading in Parliament. It is expected to address a number of these emerging cybersecurity concerns.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) ICT Index report of 2019 estimates that there are approximately 3,5 billion internet users worldwide, making the Internet a key public infrastructure for connecting people and businesses.
Those numbers have significantly increased throughout 2020 due to the pandemic.
So going forward, an acceleration in cybercrime is highly likely in the near future.