Over the last two Kenya made major strides in its efforts to expand internet connectivity in the country by gaining access to fibre optic cable. A few months ago, Kenya received its fourth fibre optic cable after an agreement between France Telecom-Orange and some members of Lower Indian Ocean network to extend submarine cable to Mombasa, a coastal town of the country. While the arrival of the fibre optic cable has increased the visibility of Kenyan business organizations, it has also made them vulnerable to hacking and data breaches. In the recent months, Kenya has repeatedly faced attacks on websites of government ministries, bodies and business organizations.

Cyber-attacks pose a threat to information security as hackers can gain access to the privileged databases associated with the government and business websites. Some of the websites, which have been attacked or defaced in the recent months, include the website of the ministry of finance, Kenya police website, website of Kenya administrative police, the website of the Kenyan government and the website of a major mobile company. The police website has records related to absconding criminals, key police officials and other significant public documents.

Government and business organizations in Kenya do not have adequate IT security measures in place to prevent successful hacking attacks. Investment in IT security infrastructure is crucial for government and business organizations to ensure data protection and derive the full benefits of Internet technology. Regular assessment of IT security infrastructure through vulnerability assessment tests, ethical hacking and security audits is crucial to detect the security flaws and initiate corrective measures.

Government and industry associations may organize seminars and workshops to create information security awareness among bureaucrats and employees. Seminars and training programs may help individuals in understanding the dominant threats in the Internet environment and inculcate safe computing practices.

Kenya faces shortage of Information security professionals who can strengthen the defenses of on government bodies and business organizations against hacking attempts, intrusions and other sophisticated attacks by cybercriminals. Government authorities, schools, Universities and industry associations can collaborate to meet the future requirements of the IT workforce by introducing job-oriented security certification programs.