Kaspersky Lab to discuss IT security for government in Kenya at IDC event

Across Africa, governments are turning to technology to improve service delivery to citizens. Yet, when it comes to improving their IT systems, they need to consider the potential IT security risks they could encounter. Kaspersky Lab will discuss these and other issues at the IDC IT in Government Roadshow 2012 today, a conference, that will examine emerging strategies that governmental IT organisations need to start adopting to improve their operations and service delivery capabilities to citizens.

Says Vladimir Zapolyansky, Deputy Director, Global Research and Analysis Team, Head of Technology Positioning at Kaspersky Lab: “A recent Internet usage report by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK)* stated that there are an estimated 17.38 million Internet users in Kenya as of December 2011. This is an increase from the 8.8 million reported in December 2010. As more broadband becomes available throughout the continent, it is obvious that consumers, businesses, and governments alike are making use of the Internet. However, are they proactively thinking about IT security?”

Globally, governments have seen a slew of network intrusions and cyber-attacks in recent years. However, many intrusions into networks today are not being detected due to the complex set of malware techniques that are being used to perform them.

Adds Zapolyansky: “Cyber criminals have become very strategic in how they attack consumers, businesses, and government departments. This can also be considered the case for African countries, such as Kenya. While there are many solutions that protect networks, it is difficult to defend against unknown threats.”

In fact, according to the recent Kenya Cyber Security Report 2012*, automated attacks targeting organisations in Kenya are going undetected due to the use of poor detection and prevention methods. It is critical for government departments to take proactive measures when it comes to the IT security of their networks. They need to implement solutions that can provide assistance in threat detection and protection.

“As countries across Africa get access to more broadband, Kaspersky Lab is dedicated to educating them about IT security. By being a part of this year’s conference, we are looking forward to discussing this topic in greater detail and providing invaluable insight”, concludes Zapolyansky.

For more information on the IDC event, please visit: http://events.idc-cema.com/eng/events/48669-idc-it-in-government-roadshow-2012/7-overview 

* Kenya Cyber Security Report 2012, http://serianu.com/downloads/KenyaCyberSecurityReport2012.pdf