Cybercrime On Increase in Kenya

Increased internet penetration and technological advancements in Kenya have been driving innovation and business growth, but the same innovations are also exposing the public to cybersecurity threats, according to a recent

report.

Kenya is losing about 2 billion shillings ($22.8 million) annually due to cybercrime, according to the Kenya Cybersecurity Report 2014, prepared by Nairobi-based information technology firm Serianu Limited.

"Cyber-terrorists, spies, hackers and fraudsters are increasingly motivated to target our ICT [information communications technology] infrastructure due to the increasing value of information held within it, driven by our growing dependence on them and the perceived lower risk of detection and capture ... as compared to more traditional crime," William Makatiani, managing director of Serianu Limited, said in the report released June 11th.

Bank fraud is on the rise as cashless transactions, including internet banking, mobile money transfers, and credit card and check payments, continue to become more popular, the report said.

In 2013 alone, bank customers lost 1.49 billion shillings ($17 million) "through schemes hatched by employees", Makatiani told Sabahi. "[The bank employees] took advantage of the online and mobile banking platforms to temper with the web systems in their respective banks to siphon out the cash."

Another cybercrime on the rise involves hackers gaining access to businesses' private branch exchange (PBX) phone systems to make unauthorised calls, leaving the business owner liable for payment, the report said.

"The introduction and increasing popularity of internet telephony (Voice over IP - VoIP) services has led to the majority of PBX [systems] used by Kenyan organisations to have internet connectivity where traditionally they did not," the report says. "This has increased the number of attack vectors available to be exploited where they have not been secured."

VoIP hackers seek to obtain passwords and account registration details, enabling them to make calls, eavesdrop on conversations, disrupt phone calls and access sensitive information.

The report also found that there has been an increase in cases of cyber espionage.