Cybersecurity crimes in Africa and North Africa: challenges and opportunities ✍️ Mr. Al -Jali Abdul Qadir Ahmed Ahmed
Based on my practical and technical experience in the field of modern networks and networks * Cisco *, and my daily relationships with digital systems in sensitive and complex environments in a country of the Gulf States, I fully realized that cybersecurity is no longer a technical luxury, but has rather become a strategic necessity to protect the digital structure and sensitive data for countries and institutions.
With the acceleration of digital transformation in Sudan and on the African continent in general, in particular in North African countries, the real challenges linked to cybersecurity, which vary between attacks against infrastructure, data theft, electronic fraud and the penetration of communications and banks, which requires high awareness, tight planning and complete regional cooperation.
In this article, I will deal with a precise analysis of this phenomenon in the African context, while highlighting realistic examples, real challenges and processing methods with an engineering and strategic perspective, based on my specialization in the field of networks and the digital structure.
In light of the digital revolution and rapid electronic change of the African continent, cybersecurity crimes have become one of the most dangerous threats faced by technical, economic and even security stability. With the spread of Internet networks, the expansion of the use of digital banking services and electronic services, the risks associated with electronic attacks of all kinds have increased.
The types of cybersecurity crimes dispersed in Africa:
@ Phishing:
– Large propagation in countries like Nigeria and Kenya, using false messages to steal bank and personal user data.
@ Malware and ransomware:
– government institutions and large companies are targeted, as has happened in Algeria and Morocco, where certain government services have been disabled by ransom attacks.
@Banking and financial hacking:
The hypocrisy of payment and banking transfers through unsecured requests that have led to enormous financial losses.
@Exploitation via mobile networks:
– In many North African countries, involuntary telephone requests are penetrated, communication sales have stolen and convert them fraudulently.
Challenges faced by the African continent in cybersecurity:
Low digital infrastructure in many countries.
Decrease in skilled managers in cybersecurity and information networks.
The absence of unified and dissuasive legislation
-Creditation of government systems on exposed or unusual networks
@Opportations to develop cybersecurity in Sudan:
Regional training and partnerships:
Establish cyber-training centers with partnerships with experienced countries (such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia), to qualify local executives.
Invest in protected network technology:
– Cisco Umbrella and Firepower NGFW Solutions to protect the government and bank networks.
Build emergency intervention centers (CERT):
As a national parties to monitor attacks and immediate action.
@Raise the level of digital consciousness of citizens:
– thanks to media campaigns on the risk of data sharing and click on suspicious links.
Some realistic cases:
For example, in Nigeria, an international network of electronic fraud was dismantled by money laundering in millions of dollars.
-Dan in Sudan and Egypt, numerous attempts to penetrate the electronic amount of public institutions have been observed during periods of political disorders and are always added to spying and pirates for mobiles, certain bank accounts and other espionage operations.
@The role of network experiences in the address:
My experience as an engineer specializing in Cisco networks, one of the radical solutions is:
Build safe networks (VPN / MPLS) for ministries and institutions.
Use of multi-factory authentication techniques (MFA).
Update the systems periodically and get rid of the old structure exposed to gaps.
– Sensitive service networks separated from public networks via VLAN.
My recommendations:
Sudan and African countries, especially in North Africa, must move strategically to build real digital immunity.
– Government efforts with the private sector and civil society must be integrated to guarantee cybersecurity.
It is urgent to create national early alert platforms.
Internationally recognized training and vocational training centers (such as CCNA Security, CISSP, CEH) must be developed.
Greetings: Mr. Al -Jali Abdul Qadir Ahmed
Information network and system expert
Specialized in network safety and digital infrastructure
