Complacency, Lacking of Constructive Digital Security Approach Allows Cybercrime and Phishing to Flourish 

“We Need to be Proactive rather than Reactive waiting for a disaster or compromise to National Data and Security”  

Syl Juxon Smith-BSc

AFRICA HOMELAND SECURITY INITIATIVES WITH HOME GROWN SOLUTIONS

Most areas of internet, intranet and cybercrime attacks in Africa is rising sharply year after year. This trend is partly caused by both consumer and the authorities complacency about their security, combined with more sophisticated phishing attacks been perpetrated from outside exploiting the weak security within the cyber infrastructures in every gamut of Communications, Information and technology including data storage facilities.

The figures are very alarming coming from international comprehensive reports that gathers information from publicly available sources about a variety of computer and fraud related based crimes in Africa and globally.

One notable trend is the rise of account takeover where, instead of using false IDs to open new accounts, fraudsters focus on stealing details and access codes for existing accounts of customers or clients, using a combination of phishing emails and Trojans to gather the information. This account takeover activity is rising rapidly especially in government institution were the intranet is mainly used to fast track payments and transactions.

Now that the banks are less forthcoming with credit, and doing more thorough checks [on new accounts], the fraudsters are focusing more attention on getting hold of existing bank account, credit card account, or even online trading account. There is a clear rise in account takeover fraud. More rampant is especially the ATM machines which lacks adequate and proper security systems and forensic auditing trail. Many of its crime is not taken seriously but swept under the carpets in most cases without compensation and watchdog reactions because of no financial policy dealing with this level of crime. Governments must start looking at creating cyber commissions' to deal with overall cyber crimes and nefarious activities pertaining to ICT. It will help greatly and protects national sovereign integrity. It must be done sooner or the entire security will be compromised and confidentiality contaminated.

A case scenario from report highlighted a 132% increase in online banking fraud with losses totalling £52.5m, compared to £22.6m in 2007. The sharp rise can be mostly attributed to nearly 44,000 phishing websites specifically targeting banks and building societies in the UK alone and other European countries as well.

The cyber fraudsters and phishers are getting more sophisticated, not necessarily in technical terms, but in the content of the emails. We are seeing phishing attacks that use the names of MPs, or which pretend to be from DHL, telling you your package has not been delivered, and to click "here" for more information. We have also seen a wave of messages purporting to come from Inland Revenue, sometimes promising a tax rebate."

By monitoring the 'dark market' where stolen details are traded on the Internet, reports has also detected a massive rise in activity, not only in the sale of stolen credit card details, but also login passwords. "A year ago, you'd see 50,000 credit cards numbers a month appearing in these trading sites for fraudsters. Now we see around 120,000 a month," he said. "We are also seeing stolen login information being bought and sold. These include logins for Web email, social network sites, eBay and PayPal. A year ago you'd see between 6000 and 10,000 of these a month -- now it's 300,000."

Many people are often less concerned about protecting their webmail login details, but these credentials can be used to find other valuable pieces of information. "The fraudsters go into those email accounts, look for any other useful information that might give them access to other accounts. They might go to other sites you use, claim their password is lost and have a one-time password sent to that email address. They will use your webmail address to try and pick up as many one-time passwords from other facilities that you use."

One other factor contributing to the rise in cybercrime attacks, could be a certain complacency among clients, consumers and service providers. "In 2006/7, there was a lot of publicity about ID theft, and consumers became more aware, they bought shredders to get rid of confidential documents, and thought the job was done," he said, but since then the fraudsters have adopted new techniques.

Users must be advised professionally to be proactive in taking more responsibility for their own security, especially since the crime is so hard for law enforcement to tackle.

In addition to covering financial and identity crime only, other report also tracks online harassment, computer misuse (spreading malware), sexual offences (mainly paedophiles) and land registry (switching ownership of land) and other document fraud.

Africa must hold more workshops and networking for better understanding and sharing of experiences which can pass on information's to the less informed. This is not a climate for monopolising pertinent valuable information which can help to reduce the frequencies of attacks through ignorance.

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By Syl Juxon Smith

African leaders and its various working organisations must critically start seriously looking at the setting up of a CYBER COMMISSION structured under an AFRICA HOMELAND SECURITY…..a new initiative I am proposing to combat the ever growing Cyber crimes including DATA theft and hacking, now becoming a daily event and a profitable venture for the ever sophisticated criminal enterprises breeding a new mindset of individuals, whose callous and well organised actions is affecting the very foundation of both the electronic e-business, normal day to day business activities;- banks, financial institutions and governments national security integrity. This is a growing trend very troubling and must be nipped in the bud earlier, or gradually it will become a serious cause for concern, leading to one of the greatest threat already casting its shadows on every profitable gamut of society which will eventually engulf developing and potential African countries, their networks, national spectrums, polluting the very basic communications layer that will be very costly to challenge and rehabilitate in the long run. Also will affect and disrupt government activities relying on effective and efficient data transmission and digital security management. No organisation, business or government can be safe today with the kind of threat the internet, intranet and communications is posing especially to the African environment with virtually nothing to manage and counter cyber threats. 85% of our present activities are supported by communications and technology in convergence. This must be properly acknowledge to understand the kind and levels of threats and danger that come with it. Each African country must start looking at creating its own CYBER SECURITY TASK FORCE to have a better perspective of the level of penetration in all spheres of communications and networking to come up with adequate solutions. This local organisation shall then be affiliated to the international bodies for support which needs some degree of confidentiality and integrity to be effective.    

Africa is a continent comprised of diverse countries, each of which is developing at a different rate, many of which are dynamic emerging economies especially Ghana, which is rapidly becoming the beacon of light and hope in dynamic transformation, economic and human resource capacity growth. Most economic growth in the developed regions is driven by information and communications technology (ICT). We must follow a well define ICT agenda with cost effective integrated solution concept for modernisation of communications and technology highways in Africa. What is less widely understood in modern society is that all economies are information economies, which Africans, governments and authorities must clearly understand and embraced for development, progress and security.

The free flow of information lowers the barriers to economic activity and stimulates growth and productivity, even economies that we do not normally regard as fully developed. Connectivity and accessibility is the key enabler of the information flow that defines modern economies. It is also the key enabler of an ongoing economic transformation in many major developed countries as well as African countries. Choices are very paramount for African economies in deciding strategies for infrastructural implementation and back haul to support continuity. Secure, reliable and highly scalable systems with global connectivity is a necessity and the core objective, supporting all traffic payloads, with scalable high speed data rates, while offering seamless integration to all other both private and governmental existing network architecture. .

Africa needs to shape the regulatory framework to set the environment in which countries can import technologies which can compete; set technical standards, and substantially broaden African access to value-added information services. At the moment, Africa commands little attention among developed technologists and countries, leaving the field open to those who might wish to take a commanding leadership role quickly and, perhaps, largely unchallenged. It is true that these African markets lag behind those in East Asia, Latin America, eastern Europe, and the states of the former Soviet Union in their development. But, they offer incredible opportunity for the long-term.  Rather than still adopting the old way of doing things and thinking is we must substantially increase the exploration, development and use of our abundant energy and mineral resources as a basis for aggressive developments and challenges.

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Alarming Data Security Breaches and Identity Theft

Unifying Digital Solutions in Convergence with Physical Security

By Syl Juxon Smith

Across the globe, now mainly targeting African countries with evolving technology capacity like Ghana, online cyber criminals are focusing dedicated funds, time and resources to perpetrate fraud - and they are very adept at this process penetrating financial institutions, banks, businesses, governments critical mission infrastructures moving from towns to countries. The result has been a dramatic increase in online fraud that specifically targets consumers, enterprises and citizens. Every data breach or costly identity-theft case going on unabated and unreported erodes the public's confidence in the security of online POS and other financial transactions. This loss of confidence jeopardizes the ability of organizations to conduct transactions online effectively with wider patronage and profitability especially in Africa. Lack of knowledge and effective manpower resources in ICT security continues to make the situation more vulnerable with inadequate response.

A myriad of security vendors have stepped to the forefront in attempts to ease these concerns. While this has inspired an explosion of innovation around both strong authentication and fraud detection, there have been challenges introduced as well. Some of these vendors are trusted providers of online security expertise, but many newer players in the African continent lack the experience and know-how that growing and larger organizations and businesses requires.

Protecting the corporate brand, safeguarding customers and meeting the appropriate regulations are now primary security concerns for governments, private and the public sector institutions using data, biometrics and other modern technologies. To properly implement a strong, layered security strategy that fulfils those goals, organizations need to thoroughly review their overall business security and online activities and conduct risk assessments to determine the level of authentication and fraud detection required. There are many available security options that can help thwart fraud today and into the future, including multifactor authentication and fraud detection solutions. With a clear understanding of the tools available and ways to effectively begin and evolve, organizations can take the essential steps toward protecting consumers, enterprises and citizens today ... and tomorrow.

Corporate and business information loss can mostly be credited to a company's internal organization, or lack thereof. In other words, in order to prevent data leakage, corporations must not only eliminate external threats, but also internal processes that could enable data leakage. In many cases emanate from lacking in security plan, internal risks as well as bad storage procedures. Costs associated with a data breach are rising leading to financial consequences and image damage that will see many firms struggling to lock down information and prevent leakage of sensitive data.

The annual Cost of Data Breach report was funded by encryption vendor PGP Corp. It surveyed 43 firms that experienced a data breach and asked them to give estimates for their expenses. The total average costs of a data breach grew to $202 per record compromised, an increase of 2.3% since 2007 ($197 per record) and 11% compared to 2006 ($182 per record). Depending on the size of the breach, costs could become astronomically expensive. But in Africa, many in the financial and privacy level have a view that people over time will become indifferent to a data breach notification. But the breach found the costs associated with lost business continue to climb drastically. Lost business now accounts for 69% of data breach costs, up from 65% in 2007.

2007 - Data breach costs soar: A study indicates the costs associated with data breaches have soared and will continue to skyrocket unless companies do more to prevent them in the first place. Experts say breach costs are far reaching and could lead businesses, banks and merchants to find alternative payment methods which are ever flourishing in Africa (Grey/Black Market). Corporate information loss can mostly be credited to a company's internal organization, or lack thereof.

African firms are not doing enough preventing data breaches. Because countries lack proper data policy management systems, no consumer watchdog unit and no government legislation regulating and protecting data handling and misuse. It's impossible to create an environment where you cannot have a data breach. Data breaches will continue even for the best of companies and government bureaucracy, but its how you detect it, how you respond to it and how you manage the risk that matters most. Companies, organisations and governments should be fearful of malicious insiders getting access to sensitive and confidential data. The rising tide of layoffs as a result of the poor economy has put a focus on the insider threat. But insider negligence continued to play a major role in causing a data breach. More than 88% of all cases involved incidents of insiders mishandling data. Far fewer breaches were from malicious insiders.

The Ponemon study found that the per victim cost for data breaches involving negligence cost $199 per record versus malicious acts costing $225 per record. Companies must respond to rising tide of insider threats with security training and awareness programs. Training programs were started by 53% of those companies surveyed. Forty-nine percent of firms said they are also creating additional manual procedures and controls.

Fewer firms are investing in additional technologies like CCTV and Time Attendance Systems. Encryption was the first technology implemented after a breach. Of the technology options, 44% of companies have expanded their use of encryption. Technology should be implemented with education and diligence; African businesses too often get lulled into a false sense of security. One of the mistakes companies and individuals including IT administrators is relying only on encryption solution to network servers, desktops and laptops forget about thumb drives, email or FTP servers. Some are trying addressing some issues but not addressing the entire problem. Some companies turn to the use of third-party services to handle personal information such as payment transactions and customer loyalty programs. But they do not realise that those services may increase the risk of data leakage and also increase the cost of a breach. Breaches by outsourcers, contractors, consultants and business partners were reported by 44% of respondents, up from 40% in 2007. Third-party vendors often take more time to investigate and conduct forensic analysis. Services sometimes lose information due to poor processes or inadequate data protection technologies. Not all data breaches are the result of high tech glitches or cybercrimes, Sometimes they're pretty low tech. The financial impact goes so much deeper than simply costing victims, but also ripples throughout the network of organizations involved. "I'm always glad to see when other organizations produce evidence to corroborate what we've been saying for years: 'failure to maintain proper data security is a high risk gamble that companies simply can't afford in this time of global economic recession'".

AFRICA HOMELAND SECURITY 2009 - BUSINESS RISK & THREAT ANALYSES

By Syl Juxon Smith

BE CONCERN AND BE PROACTIVE NOW

African and International banks operating locally, businesses, offices and more so governments and the bureaucracy must be very vigilant and cautious with their information and data pertaining to general activities this 2009. Global forensic referencing data theft, misuse and lack of proper monitoring and control is alarming, very dangerous to existing weak security standards especially in Africa. In a nutshell, we do not take data issues seriously because of the absence of stringent policy and punitive measures in breaches opening doors for International criminal enterprises to take root in influencing white collar crimes especially in banks and financial institutions. Continual high incentives and emoluments has made it lucrative and profitable for an IT professional or member of staff  of big businesses, enterprises and corporations to sell data or digital information to competitors or criminals using information bought for higher personal nefarious monetary gains. This is the general trend that cannot be stopped but can be controlled. Patent information, bid or tender specifications figures, board decisions and governments minutes and confidential data are highly sort after for very convincing fees by not only criminals but political or business rivals. Identity systems, national health data bases, social security ID and biometrics accessories and data carried on it spectrum from one data point of verification to execution is all compromised with very weak security or none existing security procedures at all.

Many companies at instances of breaches from lapses emanating from within are blaming vendors, suppliers and infrastructures for breaches which is totally foolish and unacceptable in the strongest term. Because of the lack of effective policy and watchdog policing much attention or concern is not manifested by companies and officials since their losses incurred is pass on to the average consumers and swept under the management carpet for fear of image or reputation scandals. In present digital global standards, companies, businesses or governments are held responsible or liable for data theft or misuse of customers information. It is about time Africa begins to look at the protection of data and its integrity seriously or rather face the consequences and damage to reputation which in most cases cannot be easily repaired.        

Losses of personal and financial data are set to rise sharply in 2009 as the effects of the credit crunch start to bite, according to a new report from the management consultancy KPMG LLP.

Based on current trends, KPMG says the number of people affected by data loss around the world could soar to 190 million in 2009, compared to 92 million in the previous year, as the credit crunch deepens. The report says the number of people affected by data loss incidents (47.8 million) from August to November were higher than combined incidents in the first eight months of the year -- and 38% higher than the same period in 2007 (34.5 million).

KPMG has been tracking publicly reported data losses since 2005 and records them in its "data loss barometer." The partner in charge, Malcolm Marshall, acknowledged that the figures represent just a fraction of the real extent of the data loss problem, which still goes largely unreported in many countries.

Marshall said he expected the rate of losses to grow in 2009 as finances become tight and criminals start to target individuals who might be persuaded to part with information for cash. "People may be worried about their jobs and finances, so criminals see an opportunity from the economic downturn," he said.

Since 2005, there have been around 1,300 reported incidents of data loss worldwide, with the personal data of more than 350 million people compromised, according to KPMG. In 2008 there were 427 data loss incidents reported, affecting 83 million people globally. Although fewer people were affected than in 2007, well over half of the 2008 victims -- 47.8 million -- suffered loss in the last three months of the year.

Although online shopping is unlikely to be affected by data breaches, as all credit card losses are covered by the Consumer Credit Act, Marshall said the effect on companies themselves can be crippling.

"Once they suffer an incident, their risk appetite goes right down, and they can make dysfunctional decisions in their desire to avoid a second event," he said.

One of the biggest risks comes with sharing information with outsourcing companies and sub-contractors. While he sees no sign of companies bringing in-house major business process contracts, Marshall said that several companies had now opted to dispose of their own IT equipment themselves rather than outsource the process. "There have been incidents of hardware being sold on eBay, so some companies prefer to hire in a team with sledgehammers and make sure the data is properly destroyed."

He said data loss is now a global problem that is set to get worse, adding that even the most secure and comprehensive controls do not provide absolute protection against all conceivable threats.

Marshall suggested a few simple questions that all companies should ask themselves:

• Do you know where your data comes from?
• Where it is stored and how it is used?
• Do you have a clear plan of what to do should you lose your data?

Point of Caution and Observation:

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Even with the best prevention mechanisms, systems still get compromised, often due to users who inadvertently introduce flaws or malware into an environment which exploits compromise even fully patched and hardened machines. Focusing exclusively on prevention is a fool's errand. Corporations need good detection and response capabilities in order to identify systems that fall under an attacker's control. By focusing all security resources on preventing attacks, some organisations have left only scraps for the detection and incident response components that a viable information security program requires. Security personnel need to divert some prevention efforts (and budget) to detection and eradication. Frankly, what most organisations really should worry about is the exfiltration of sensitive data. Blocking the door with good prevention is a nice start to protecting such data, but organisations need to follow up and look for attackers already in their midst's by attempting to detect and respond to data exfiltration activities to see if sensitive data is leaving the environment.

Security awareness campaigns improve security practices by instructing staff users of infrastructures to choose better passwords and be more conscious of social engineering attacks. But it's important to note that these programs shouldn't be a one-shot deal when ever there is a problem or with a huge campaign once or twice a year to encourage employees to "think securely." Instead, security awareness programs should run continually, working to instil an enterprise culture that understands security and how it is vitally tied to a business. Corporations should strive for an awareness program centred on continual reinforcement, with tabletop brochures, manuals and regular internal security policy communications from the security team.

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CCTV DIGITAL AUDIT & CONSULTANCY

By Syl Juxon Smith

One fear that is shared by most clients using CCTV electronic security is that the system won’t work when you really need it. But many recent headlines have shown the effectiveness of CCTV systems in catching terrorists, thieves and cheats, but what about the finer print in so many other stories where the villain was simply “unrecognizable by the camera?” Fortunately, this situation is preventable. Unfortunately, you’re not likely doing all that you can to prevent it. Many companies rely on audits to verify proper controls and procedures in their facilities. An inventory is a form of audit, as is an accounting or compliance audit. Many companies now consider their CCTV system to be a critical part of their operation — why not perform a regular audit of that system as well? CCTV Is Most Vulnerable It may be tempting to extend this concept to all electronic security systems in a facility. I’m certainly all for the regular testing, adjustment and calibration of all of your systems. However, it’s not likely that these other systems will require a regular third-party audit for one simple reason — an alarm, intercom, access control or another related system do not have a “subjective” component. CCTV lends itself to more “gray” areas that benefit from another set of eyes and expertise to verify proper operation. So what should be a part of this audit? Any audit worth it’s salt looks at two elements: Is the system performing as mandated and what can be done to improve things, if improvement is desired? Applying those concepts to our CCTV system audit, the System Audit Checklist table seen on page 20 of the December issue shows a few examples of what should be examined, as well as typical opportunities for improvement in those areas.

What an Auditor Needs to Know To sum up what we want to know about our CCTV system, there are three things: System functionality: This area can be broken down into the various subsystems, but the overall question is simple: Is everything working the way it should? Are images from cameras free of distortion and interference, and sharply focused? Do pan/tilt/zoom (p/t/z) cameras move when you tell them to and, more importantly, stop moving on command? Are images recorded as needed, and can you play them back on demand? While these may seem like common-sense questions, it is surprising how many operators learn to compensate for systems that have deteriorated over time. Sometimes, an alternate camera is used, or they’ll wait until the subject gets closer to see if they can be recognized. Even common — and easily fixed — electrical problems, such as unstable images caused by poor equipment grounding, can be ignored in much the same way a 12-year old ignores the dirt on his glasses. We tend to look through these problems. System performance: While system functionality evaluates whether or not the equipment is working, system performance seeks to identify how well it is working — particularly in your specific application. This type of evaluation will look beyond the quality of a camera’s image to determine the effectiveness of a camera in each particular location. Will adjustments such as lens or equipment changes — or even repositioning — help increase usability and overall effectiveness? Similarly, recording duration, frame rates and compression quality should be looked at on digital video systems to see if you’re using the products effectively. Preventative maintenance: Along the way, an audit should identify elements of the system that may be prone to premature failure and make specific recommendations as to how they may be corrected. Cable strain on connectors is very common, and a few well-placed cable ties or supporting brackets can often be an inexpensive fix. If there were problems with the initial installation, or subsequent changes and modifications, recommendations here will give you the ammunition to ensure things are properly corrected. Selecting an Auditor Perhaps the most difficult task in having a system audit performed is selecting the person to perform it. There are a few criteria that must be observed to keep the process objective.

First and foremost, the auditor should have the skills and experience to perform the work. They should be in a position to recommend effective solutions and improvements, while having experience with similar systems. Look for someone who is genuinely interested in improving your system, not just their paycheck, and insist they not be afraid to speak their mind. A second criterion is that the auditor should have absolutely no financial stake in the outcome of the audit. If they’re going to recommend a change, you want to be sure that the change is needed and not a revenue-generating opportunity for their firm. If you are to use the results of this audit to justify investing in added equipment, you’ll be far better served bringing an independent evaluator’s opinion to the budget meeting rather than a quote from your integrator. Unfortunately, the second criteria described above rules out most of the obvious choices, including integrators, your own employees and manufacturers. While there may be other options, the two that immediately come to mind are independent consultants and colleagues. Using a colleague is an excellent choice if you can find the right one, since the costs involved are minimal in most cases. This can be a trade-off relationship in which you’ll audit each other’s systems on a regular basis and derive equal benefit. An independent consultant is also an excellent choice — though in the interest of full disclosure, I must point out that I am an independent consultant and have performed such audits for many clients in Europe and Africa. The right independent consultant fits all of the above criteria and can’t be accused of declaring a problem to generate more work or looking the other way to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Their insurance will serve to provide some protection from liability, and they can be retained to perform the work on a recurring basis without your having to show up at their place to look at their system as well. A Double-Edged Sword The idea of a system audit may prove to be politically unpopular. But the louder the objections, the more likely it is needed. It will almost always uncover deficiencies in your system and will raise questions as to how things have been “allowed to get this far.” If you’re confident in your operation and are prepared to implement reasonable changes that make business sense, it will be a welcome opportunity for improvement. However, if you think there is a chance that the findings will be ignored and that improvements will not be made, you may be better off skipping the process unless you’re prepared for the consequences.

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FORENSIC IMAGE AND DATA AUDIT - TENDER & PROCUREMENT - DESIGN, SUPPLY, INSTALL & SUPPORT             RISK AND THREAT ANALYSIS - SECURITY POLICY DETAIL & MANAGEMENT - SECURITY CONSULTANCY INFRASTRUCTURAL UPGRADE & FINE TUNNING - REMOTE SITE & MOBILE MONITORING

WE HAVE WORKED ON MANY HIGH PROFILE CASES AND PROJECTS INCLUDING AIRPORTS, HABOURS, EMBASSIES, PRESIDENCY, VIP, POLICE, MILITARY, PARLIAMENTS, UTILITIES, BANKS, HOTELS ETC 

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO ICT SECURITY IN AFRICA - TIME TO BE PROACTIVE

You are safe with our Confidentiality and Integrity which experience, knowledge and capacity within the Industry is second to none

DATA ACTIVITY LOGGER & MONITORING IS A PREREQUISITE

THE ENEMY WITHIN YOUR DATA & INFRASTRUCTURE

By Syl Juxon Smith

ICT firms, banks, enterprises, businesses, critical mission infrastructures, security organs and governments bureaucracy, cannot report a security breach because there is no standardisation or taxonomy for compliance which is a very serious cause for concern as we make progress in our quest for modern services and applications in digital technology. Most security breaches goes down quietly and swept under the carpet resulting sometimes in significant financial losses for the affected bodies, firms and consumers. Companies whose security had been breached were most times and cases attacked from inside.

Within the African region and Ghana in particular this is unsurprising given the increasing popularity of portable media devices, such as USB sticks and memory cards, which are routinely used to retrieve exchange and store large amounts of confidential data within servers, laptops and desktops. Reflecting the rise in internal threats, vast majority of users do not have a security policy factored into their day to day activities, not paying proper attention to the security of their internal IT infrastructure and less concern and lackadaisical about employee misconduct involving IT usage and maintenance. Technology, media and telecom's firms worldwide shows that many companies are underestimating the need for security. While companies seem to understand the financial implications of security attacks, intangible factors such as damage to reputation, customer dissatisfaction and lost productivity are often overlooked. Now that technology, media and telecom's firms are so reliant on digital information and technology, security-related disruptions have become a major concern. African companies and firms do not have an enterprise-wide program to manage business continuity and those that have are well below the average security ratings. Carefully structured and managed security may not be a substantial source of sustainable competitive advantage, but it is certainly a critical part of any mature and well managed business in the 21st century. The fact is that not many were doing enough to address security issues, and those that attempt to have to contend with budget constraints and lack of management support as the main challenges to achieving security goals. Increasing vulnerability of the [technology, media, telecom's] sector to attack means that security is no longer a minor operating detail best left to the IT department. The industry needs to address security as a fundamental business requirement and a strategic imperative.

Personal information and confidential data leaks is growing and will reach unprecedented levels by 2010 if serious and comprehensive measures are not put in place to arrest and control such trend. Lost laptops, insecure systems and mislaid discs means problems posed by the exposure of customer records and governmental confidentiality are contributing to subversive tendency affecting social and national security. As in other areas of information security organisations are often reticent to invest in encryption and other security defences until they've been hit by a problem. Increased of breaches as well as greater volumes of data and identity theft are among the factors prone to continual vulnerability. Data handling is always been poor and information security breach is gradually pushing the issue out into the open that will soon begin to grossly affect the consumer confidence and patronage to e-commerce etc.

Meanwhile, customer records were compromised worldwide year in and year out. As well as taking into account the whole world instead of just the US, “Attrition's estimate is higher because it reckons that 94m records were exposed by the theft of credit card data at TJX. Attrition.org's figures come from a lawsuit filed by TJX by banks. The Identity Theft Resource Center takes the 46m figure of potentially compromised credit card details TJX has publicly acknowledged”. Hackers are reckoned to have obtained the credit card numbers after snooping on weakly encrypted wireless transmissions of customer information, a security weakness they exploited to eventually gain access into TJX's central databases as part of a long-running attack that went undetected for months. The TJX breach was by far the worst breach of 2007. Other major breaches of last year include the loss by the UK government of two unencrypted CDs containing the records of 25m child benefit claimants. Financial or data fraud in most cases is a result of internal security breaches emanating from prevention of unauthorised access to data. However, any casual reading of fraud reports in the news media will quickly reveal that a significant proportion of fraud (not to mention sabotage by disgruntled employees) is committed by authorised rather than unauthorised personnel. And if someone is authorised to read, write or update data, then how do you prevent, or at least detect (at the earliest possible stage) any unauthorised activity?

The simple answer to this is that you have an audit trail and log files associated with your database that you can query as and when required. However, log files are really only useful for finding information when you already know what you are looking for and other more proactive facilities that monitor database activity. In fact, the only practical way to monitor database activity in anything like real-time is to monitor database requests across the network. That is, before the data is committed to the database. This has the advantage that you also pick up illicit attempts to access the database as well as those that are legitimate. Further, you can implement filters against the monitored traffic to issue real-time alerts when suspicious activity is reported. In addition, as you are logging all the requests that are sent to the database, you can also use the same software for compliance reasons, to analyse data usage to support archival policies and so on.

To give examples of the type of monitoring you might want to do, you might want to raise an alert if someone who normally accesses data between 9am and 5pm suddenly access the database at 2am. He might simply be a diligent employee, but you'd like to know. You might also like to know if a person who has access to user names and to passwords wants to look at them both at the same time. Both auditing and monitoring is currently a major focus for the enterprises, governments, businesses including the private and public sector driving its business forward. Avoiding bad publicity, protecting brand name and maximising customer confidence are all high on the list of worries of businesses when considering their ability to comply with security strategies and ICT principles and regulations that govern them. For those tasked with overseeing that businesses are in line with the rules and regulations, and indeed, that the business maintains high standards in its dealing with customers, suppliers and partners, IT just makes the headache worse. With so many channels of communications open and the mingling of their business and personal activities, businesses more are open to risk from the actions of their employees than ever before.

It is not that all employees are intrinsically bad, most are not, but any employee is open to distractions from what they should be doing, whether it buying or selling stuff on the internet, instant messaging their friends (either side of the firewall), or even, writing their personal blog or sending many email applications. All this has an impact on employee productivity, but can also lead to damaging communications with the outside world. Some employees will set out to deliberately damage their employer either because they harbour a grudge or see a chance for financial gain. Others just do plain stupid things like accidentally forwarding confidential information to external parties or exchanging lewd images with their friends. What ever the employees do, accidental or deliberate, in the name of their employer or not, all these communications are seen to come from the business and have the potential to harm its reputation. Trusting employees is not enough; it is too easy for them to make mistakes. But businesses can not afford to be stifled by banning employees from using the very tools that are supposed to make businesses open, communicative and productive. The answer has to lie somewhere between the two – having IT systems that allow the actions of employees to be monitored and controlled.

There is nothing new about this - one of the most well known brands in the computer industry, NCR (National Cash Registers) was built on the back of monitoring employees and preventing theft. There are plenty of products available to control employee activities including the use of email, the web and instant messaging. Because these products are monitoring the ports on which these activities take place they can be adapted to monitor new and emerging activities as well. But many businesses are struggling with the basics. Today few IT vendors have the product portfolio to cover all the ills that can arise from the misuse of IT and certainly none has the best in all areas. But resellers can assemble a portfolio of products to help their customers create a compliance oriented architecture and help those tasked with preserving the good name of the business sleep more easily. Internal security breaches at the world's banks are growing faster than external attacks, as institutions invest in technology, instead of employee training. Security report, which surveyed senior security officers from the world's top 100 financial institutions, found that incidences of phishing and pharming, through online scams which exploit human behaviour, are growing rapidly. These scams use bogus e-mails and websites to persuade people to reveal confidential information to hackers and fraudsters. People need to understand how to classify data and treat it in a secure way.

The attributes shift from external threats to internal threats to the fact that some African companies have been implementing technical security solutions, but have been lax about providing security training to customers and employees. Very few institutions had budgeted for security training programs and support. Training and awareness for both customers and employee will increase productivity and confidentiality for compliance. Businesses and financial institutions must installed proper antivirus software not trial versions or counterfeits as it is very common in Africa. The prevalence of virtual private networks (VPNs) and content filtering and monitoring must also be given maximum priority.

Based on its survey, McAfee has identified four types of employees who put their workplace at risk:

• The Security Softie – This group comprises the vast majority of employees. They have a very limited knowledge of security and put their business at risk through using their work computer at home or letting family members surf the internet on their work PC.
• The Gadget Geek – Those that come to work armed with a variety of devices/gadgets, all of which get plugged into their PC.
• The Squatter – Those who use the company IT resources in ways they shouldn’t (i.e. by storing content or playing games).
• The Saboteur – A very small minority of employees. This group will maliciously hack into areas of the IT system to which they shouldn’t have access or infect the network purposely from within

Businesses need to step up efforts to educate their employees about safe use of company IT resources while at the same time rolling out technology to ensure that non-compliant devices cannot access the network.

Internet crackers and employees are the biggest security problem for today`s businesses.

We can now install activity Loggers and Monitoring software for your systems or personal computers that can manage all your computer activities and update you through email daily, weekly or monthly anywhere you are. Call us or talk to Us at TransAfrica2000 your Integrated Security Providers

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A Canopy™ System is based on a wireless broadband technology that provides for high-speed Internet access and was designed to provide cost-effective, "last-mile" high speed data access for customers who previously were underserved or lived in locations where infrastructure is non-existent. The Canopy system uses Point-to-Point and Point-to-Multipoint networks than can distances ranging from two to 10 miles in a Multi-Point configuration, to as many as 35 miles in a point-to-Point configuration.* The basic building blocks of a Canopy system are:

• Access Point (AP) easily interfaces with your existing Local Area
  Network (LAN)
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• Subscriber Module (SM) the Internet access receiver, is small and easy to install - there’s no obtrusive equipment.

The Access Point and Subscriber Modules are compact and designed to be mounted outdoors, so there is no need to run overhead and in-ground wire or microwave. And, there’s no additional software for you to install, further limiting exposure to error.

The Canopy solution also delivers outstanding performance using a modulation scheme that improves the quality of data delivery and mitigates interference from other systems. Motorola’s Canopy platform offers security with over-the-air encryption that scrambles data bits and helps prevent interception, so data delivery with the Canopy solution is very reliable.

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DIAL-UP: Is much slower
ISDN & DSL: have slower speeds and higher user costs for service
CABLE: is much more expensive to deploy
MMDS: is much more expensive and difficult to deploy
SATELITTE: has slower speeds and higher user costs

CONTACT OR CALL US FOR FREE CONSULT ON THE HEALTH OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE AND UPGRADE TO EXISTING NETWORK

TransAfrica2000(Ghana)Limited

INTEGRATED SECURITY SOLUTION PROVIDER

Industrial & Commercial Security Services and Consultancy

CCTV SYSTEMS – FIRE & ALARM SYSTEMS – ACCESS CONTROL – PABX – NETWORK SECURITY

Pyramid House, 35, Ring Road Central, Accra, Ghana

Tel: 021 921197/021 229808  Fax:021 229943  Mobile: 0244 205118   email: info@transafrica2000.com

www.transafrica2000.com www.transafrica2000.spaces.live.com

                                        Africa Homeland Security Initiatives                                          

HOME GROWN SOLUTION 

MISSION STATEMENT

TransAfrica2000 was founded in Sierra Leone in 1987 as a communications and security company being the only local organisation distributing and servicing all MOTOROLA PRODUCTS with expatriate staffs seconded from MCIL. This experience empowered our ability and capacity to have a deep insight and vast knowledge of the inner workings and dynamics with the world best professionals that forms the foundation of our strength, knowledge, information, integrity, ethics and values in information and technology by which we have stood the test of time and continue to be of services to African businesses and society in diverse formats. It is registered in the United Kingdom and in Ghana since 2001. Its main objective is to guide Africa’s leadership, businesses, private and public sector, corporate, commercial and industrial entities including ICT bodies in developing proactive solutions and policy to conceive and implement measures to improve security, protect citizens against ICT related crimes and acts of terrorism against infrastructures. Financial crime is growing everyday globally and in Africa particularly aided and facilitated by ICT. 75% of white collar crime is inside orientated.

Technology is as good as the choice we make procuring, as well as those we choose to operate and manage it. I have spent the last 8 years studying the African market and its weaknesses, in business called the swot analysis. 90% of existing businesses do not have a security plan factored or included in their business plan or day to day activities. In today’s global trend, no business or administration can function effectively without one in placed. Investment into any environment is determined by security considerations and priority is given to risk and threat factors. Africa must pay serious attention to its infrastructure, making proper and coherent choices in procuring and outsourcing. It is necessary to now begin to circumspect on contingency planning methods than waiting for crisis moments. Africa must now be proactive to be one step ahead of inevitable events. In the process, cooperates with other governments, private sectors, consultants, associates, Commission services covering subjects of law enforcement administrations (police, justice, customs, regulatory bodies etc), with Energy and Utilities operators, with the relevant local and international institutions.

TransAfrica2000 has taken into cognizance existing international standards proposes legislation, implements inspection programs in Africa including ICAO, IMO and ISO's in conformity with security plans and maintenance of assets mainly focusing on border patrols, harbours, airports, commercial and industrial sectors with emphasis on utilities, energy, telecommunications and petroleum today’s Africa biggest threat  bordering on terrorism and sabotage. The concept of “security” includes all actions aimed at physical protection of human beings, businesses and infrastructures.

Energy and Utilities

Proper functioning of energy installations and infrastructures is crucial for well being of the population and for functioning of the economy. Although the African markets are not that closely linked and interdependent, national authorities are responsible to take measures to prevent and eventually mitigate any damage to its assets, utilities and energy supply. Africa should not forget easily past bombings incidents simultaneously by terrorists in Kenya and Tanzania. The impact of this synchronised bastardly act which has left the country’s economic structure in decline especially the main bread basket which was tourism. Today we are seeing a new wake of such act in different dimensions threatening the whole sub region if not tackled constructively. The appearance of new threats of international influence especially the ugly one in Nigeria petroleum installations must not be down played or neither underestimated. It requests concerted capacity of awareness, prevention and proactive measures. This will only be fully effective if formulated at African level both governmental and the private sector participatory level. African Union, ECOWAS and other regional bodies must take initiative towards a common approach to the protection of energy infrastructures, ICT security networks, petroleum and utilities sectors.

Key tasks are:

• Establishing legal instruments for the security of energy installations and storage and for networks and infrastructures for energy, including the utility installations and sensitive locations i.e.; Airports, Borders, Parliaments, State House etc.
• Security of ammunition sources,
• Recommendations to Members States and technical assistance,
• Follow-up of national verification programs, including ICT security,
• Coordination of contacts with the Member States and operators,
• Coordination with specialised international organisations.

International Cooperation and Coordination

To ensure a sufficient level of protection for Utilities and Energy infrastructures
the issue must be addressed both at local and international level.

In addition bilateral ICT Security Working Groups must be well established with other bodies.

ICT Security Working Groups are aiming at:

• enable common understanding of Security matters
• exchange experiences and best practice
• make further progress towards standardisation of security practices
• establish mutual agreements of security practices allowing reciprocal reviews and leading to savings in the  security treatment of cargo and passengers coming from countries with mutually recognised Security measures.

Overview

Governments and the African Union must facilitate the development of an Africa Homeland Security Program for Critical Infrastructure Protection (APCIP). Must adopt a Green Paper on which stakeholders are currently being consulted. APCIP is likely to provide an overall framework for action, but any concrete measures necessary are likely to be taken on a sector by sector basis. As a result Africa Homeland Security is looking closely at protection in the areas for which it is responsible. In the maritime and aviation including commercial and industrial sectors, the AU, Member States and international partners must compliment efforts and measures that are necessary at the African level and adopted the necessary regulations. The Africa Homeland Security must therefore decide to produce a document by the end of 2007 that will examine the protection of African critical infrastructure in utilities and energy, concentrating on those areas which have not already been considered. TransAfrica2000 in collaboration with its associate’s partners is currently in the process of preparing this thorough studies and discussions with stakeholders. It will not contain any proposals for legislative measures, but legislation will remain one of the options for subsequent work.

Studies

In addition to using its existing knowledge, TransAfrica2000 has contracted associate consultants to gather information on its behalf that, providing it is of good quality, can inform policy development in this area for Africa.

Two studies have begun, one in the commercial area and another in the industrial area. They both seek to:

• develop criteria for identifying Africa’s critical infrastructure in these sectors;
• make an inventory of this African critical infrastructure;
• suggest generic measures that could be taken to enhance the level of protection of this infrastructure.

TransAfrica2000 is in strategic partnership with IGV Consulting, Murray Brand and Peter Marsland consultants whose security prerequisite and wealth of experience within the African continent and Europe in general is very complimentary to the subject matter.

Public Consultations

Stakeholders possess much of the knowledge on which any protection measures would need to be based. They are often also responsible for the operation of critical infrastructure which forms the backbone of our needs and security. When developing its policy in this area, TransAfrica2000 wants to make the best use of this experience. In the commercial area the Group has held workshops with Member States and industry stakeholders during meetings and presentations. In the industrial, similar discussions were held at seminars and meetings. IGV & TA2000 has also participated in meetings of the Industrial Security Professionals-organised grouping that brings together representatives from World Industrial Security Professionals and experts to discuss latest digital security issues. and its convergence. Consultations with stakeholders through business methods and presentations will continue in particular with experts discussing possible criteria for identifying Africa’s critical infrastructure in commercial and industrial Security. If you consider that you can add to this process, please send an e-mail tojuxonsmith@aol.com or info@transafrica2000.com explaining how you can help.

DIGITAL EXPLOSION, ITS DIVIDE AND THE FUTURE OF AFRICA`S ICT 

A NEW CULTURE OR JUST A PERSPECTIVE

"This fourth world consists of a significant portion of the world population that is shifting from a position of exploitation to a position of irrelevance (Castells, 1998). Unless measures are taken to reform the current development model, Castells warns, this fourth world may become the source of increased criminal activity and violence across the globe".

By Syl Juxon Smith

It is very important and necessary to have a clear understanding of the meaning of the term the fourth world "digital divide" before exploring its many facets and dimensions. Politicians and the decision makers must also have a clear perspective and understanding of why the digital divide has become such an important issue within the international development community and how is it influencing our politics and our lives. In today`s globalise society there is a serious relationship between ICT's, economic growth, poverty, inequalities and stability as it is very clear within the African environment.

The digital divide refers to a collection of complex factors that affect whether an individual, social group, country or region has access to the technologies associated with the information economy as well as the educational skills to achieve optimal application of those technologies. There has always been a gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot.  Now, more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy.  We use the term ‘digital divide’ to refer to this gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot.  While a consensus does not exist on the extent of the divide whether the divide is growing or narrowing, a wide of divide exists at this point in time in Africa. 

Three basic dimensions of the Digital Divide found in every current popular discourse are:

• Describing the Divide in simple static terms: disparities in access to various technologies, but often referring to Internet access.
• Describing the Divide in dynamic terms:  Is it increasing?  Is it narrowing?  How fast?  Can the more disadvantaged groups actually catch up?
• Differentiating between the domestic digital divide and the international or global digital divide.

Domestic digital divide statistics are often not available for developing countries.  Let's say that out of the 16.8 personal computers per 1000 people in Africa, 15 of them are owned by companies in urban areas and 1 is located in a rural area.  The concentration of ICT's in urban areas is just one aspect of this domestic digital divide. ICT's are more than just the Internet or use of wireless telephones in some developing countries. Increasing access still refers to a very small minority in developing countries is now referring to broadband access with VOIP integration. The digital divide is a lost opportunity, with disadvantaged groups being unable to effectively take advantage of ICT's to improve their lives  - what really matters is how the technology is used is a reflection of the lack of basic literacy, poverty, health and other social issues - computers are useful, but nothing will enable a society to bridge the digital divide until basic literacy, poverty, and healthcare issues are addressed.

Many documents discussing ICT's and the global digital divide often referred to simple measures such as the number of computers, teledensity, and the number of radio receivers. All African governments must ensure that the tabulation below form the nucleus of its political and economical agenda for a positive roadmap in looking at the way forward.

• ICT Infrastructure and Access
• Telephone mainlines per 1000 people
• Telephone mainlines per 1000 people in largest city
• Cost of local call
• Cost of call to International Countries
• Cellular mobile subscribers per 1000 people
• Daily newspapers
• Radios (per 1000 people)
• Television sets (per 1000 people)
• Computers and the Internet
• Personal computers per 1000 people
• Internet Users (thousands)
• ICT Expenditures
• ICT expenditure as a % of GDP
• ICT expenditure per capita
• ICT Business and Government Environment
• Internet speed and access
• Highly skilled IT job market
• Competition in ISP's
• Government online service availability

Within the continent of Africa, online users are concentrated in South Africa and a few other countries such as Kenya and Uganda, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt. Early studies looking at the relationship between ICT's and growth focused on teledensity as a key variable. Teledensity represents the number of telephone lines per 100 inhabitants.  The teledensity varies from more than 30 in industrial countries, between 10 and 30 in middle income countries, and less than 10 in developing countries.  Many countries in Africa are still below 1 telephone line per 100 inhabitants. Critical mass argument states that there is a positive causal correlation, meaning that information and communication do promote development, provided that a critical mass of telecommunication infrastructure is present.  It is often argued that telecommunications do not contribute to development below a teledensity of 1 per 100. Until a country has reached a teledensity of 1, it’s very difficult to predict how long it will take to reach higher levels.  You can get stuck at 1 for a long time.  Once you’ve reached one, it takes 50 years to reach a teledensity of 50 (industrial countries). It takes an average of 21 years to get from a teledensity of 1 to 10 and only 9 years to get from 10 to 20.  Some countries have done much better than these averages.  What could be the reasons for some countries having a much faster transition to higher teledensities? Remember, teledensity is only about fixed telephones lines. There is evidence that new technologies are being introduced much faster. It took 38 years for the radio to gain widespread acceptance, 16 years for personal computers, 13 years for the television and 4 years for the World Wide Web. (Widespread acceptance is defined as 50 million users). The statistics we were talking about earlier in terms of teledensity do not provide a complete picture.  There has been a tremendous expansion of cellular and satellite systems that allow telephone access without fixed telephone lines.  That’s part of the leapfrogging phenomenon.  Many areas in developing countries will never see fixed telephone lines because it’s much cheaper and more effective to use wireless technologies.  There are areas of the world where cellular phones are much more common than fixed telephone lines. In addition, the relationship between teledensity (or ICT's in general) and GDP, says nothing about the impact of telephones (or ICT's in general) with regards to poverty reduction and income inequalities within countries and across countries. The role of ICT's in poverty reduction is through their catalytic and leveraging effect on earnings opportunities, on educational services, and on welfare provision.  Many authors stress, however, that the real impact of ICT's on poverty needs to be addressed within a holistic approach.  The rest of the economy will have an important impact on the extent to which ICT's can and are having a positive effect on poverty reduction.  In practical terms, it makes little difference if a farmer is able to get information about market prices and there are no roads for him/her to transfer the crops to the market. They argue that recent econometric studies have found increasing evidence of a causal link between telecommunications development and economic development.  They also highlight strategies to enhance the impact of ICT's in reducing poverty.

There is an information and communication technology (ICT) gap between rich and poor countries, and whether that gap is growing or shrinking is difficult to tell.  There is also link between that gap and gaps in income, both within countries and across them. All developing countries, even the poorest, are improving their access to and use of modern ICT's, some at a dramatic rate.  In virtually every country in the world, more individuals enjoy access to ICT today than ever before. However, the gap between the rich OECD countries and the poor developing countries is growing, both in terms of ICT products as well as in terms of incomes.  The coincidence of these two trends is suggestive, but a decisive causal link cannot be established. Although these new technologies appear to be improving economic performance and welfare among the user populations, the link between ICT's and society-wide economic progress has been more elusive.  Studies confirms what many researchers have found for developed countries, namely a lack of association between economic growth and use of ICT's.  A possible hypothesis is that the consolidation of the networks necessary to take advantage of these technologies takes time to form and that their positive effects will be felt in the longer run.
It is quite clear that countries with similar levels of per capita incomes and economic structures exhibit wide variation in their ICT performance.  Some developing countries are surging ahead while others are falling behind.  They identify the pro-ICT policies that appear to be causing these differences in outcomes.  In particular, countries enjoy greater technological progress when they produce:

1.  A climate of democratic rights and civil liberties that is conducive to innovation and adaptation of ICT's.
2.  Respect for the rule of law and security of property rights.
3.  Investment in Human Capital.
4.  Low levels of government distortions.

However, others find that these links are complex. Although there are great complementarities between ICT and economic and social progress, there are also some important trade-offs between equity, well-being, and the unhindered development of ICT's.  As usual in most studies in Africa, many authors lacked sufficient data to reach firm conclusions, but we can hazard and rely on educated guesses. They cannot tell whether the ICT gap is growing internally within countries between the rich and the poor; nor can they tell decisively whether ICT's are contributing to greater inequality of incomes at national levels. However, they do know that comparable studies in developed countries suggest that information technologies can cause substantial increases in inequality. Whether this effect will be reversed in the long or medium run is still open to question. 

A continuation of existing trends in the ICT have/have-not gap may contribute to a number of social problems including skewed economic outcomes and enhanced risk of social and political conflict.  While the bad news is that the global equity problem is getting worse, the good news is that international and national bodies have an improved understanding of policies that can expand and accelerate the distribution of ICT's to poor populations in developing countries.  ICT's require a sophisticated enabling environment of hardware and policies before they contribute efficiently to economic growth. Leapfrogging refers to the ability of developing countries to bypass certain stages of technological development.  For example, some areas of the world are seeing spectacular increases in the use of cellular phones where copper-wire fixed lines are not available and may even never be deployed.  Some countries that were very much behind in terms of telecommunications infrastructure have been able to modernize quickly because they did not have any substantial land-based infrastructure to upgrade. More generally, the term is used to refer to countries that have successfully used modern ICT's to make rapid economic progress.  The Asian Tigers and some isolated cases such as Estonia may be included in that group of successful ICT adopters. While the majority of the emerging information on ICT's for Development sees ICT's as intrinsically beneficial to development, some are concerned that too much is being made of their potential positive impacts and not enough attention is paid to the fact that ICT's are tools. As with any tools, how they are used is what is really important. The trouble with ICT's, however, is that although they offer the technical means for establishing channels, networks, and sites, they cannot by themselves ensure either that these are used for deliberation, that they promote participation, or that they provide access to needed information. The actual social uses of ICT's are to a large extent guided by the political-institutional arrangements within which they are embedded. Whether the potential to support social development will be realized depends much more on the institutional environment of the technology than on its technical features per se. Therefore analysis of the relation between ICT's and social development has to give ample attention to their policy context. Furthermore, within this framework of the new informational economy, a fourth world is emerging. This fourth world consists of a significant portion of the world population that is shifting from a position of exploitation to a position of irrelevance (Castells, 1998). Unless measures are taken to reform the current development model, Castells warns, this fourth world may become the source of increased criminal activity and violence across the globe.

The result is, as noted by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, that …we are no longer talking about the South that was on the periphery of the capitalist core and was tied to it in a classical relationship of dependence… we are dealing… with a crueler phenomenon: either the South (or a portion of it) enters the democratic- technological -scientific race, invests heavily in R&D, and endures the ‘information economy’ metamorphosis, or it becomes unimportant, unexploited, and unexploitable. (Cardoso, 1993). Those countries that are falling behind in general should be given priority in terms of extending assistance.  What are also important are indicators that suggest a particular course of action.

“419” SHADES OF INTERLLECTUAL GREED AND CRIMINAL DECEPTION

Country, People, Assets & Integrity

“Advance scams facilitated by ICT today has appreciated in definition by which so called victims are offered oil, gold, diamonds or safe deposits in millions of dollars for just a minimum payment for bigger returns in investments, who is fooling who”

By Syl Juxon Smith

419 Scams originated in the early 1980s from Nigeria as their oil-based economy declined. Several unemployed university students first used this scam as a means of manipulating business visitors interested in shady deals in the Nigerian oil and payment sector within its procurement before targeting businessmen in the west, and later the wider global shylock population hungry for a piece of the African dream of easy riches. Opulence demonstrated by their friends and nationals working or doing business in Africa the land of milk and honey saturated with god given minerals asset of over 23 of the 33 precious minerals.

With hindsight looking into the mirrors of the past, Africa was invaded and exploited because of its vast minerals deposits i.e. South Africa by the Dutch and British, Congo by the Belgians and French, Ghana and Sierra Leone by the British. All in the name of mineral assets including gold, diamonds, copper, iron ore, oil, coltan and titanium paying very little or next to virtually pittance for its extraction. These very vital minerals has contributed to wars, misery, slavery, violation of human rights and other indignation to the African people than the development, benefits, happiness and hope expected. This was then scamming in the early century going by its definition in today’s jargon.

Scammers in the early-to-mid 1990s targeted companies, sending scam messages via letter, fax, or Telex. The Internet has helped transform a local form of fraud into one of Africa’s biggest problem which has contaminated every sector even its political, local, security and the executive arm of governance falling victim in one hand and becoming facilitators on the other by its agents and system collaborating with perpetrators in most cases because of saboteur, greed, domestic problems and the like. The spread of email and easy access to email and low cost of sending scam letters through the Internet and to wider recipients aided and facilitated by ICT globalisation village effect, has spiral from locations in Africa to Asia and Eastern Europe.

An advance fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to advance relatively small sums of money in the hope of realizing a much larger gain. An example was the scenario in Ghana, in which a company offered a 1 billion dollar loan to the government for a minimum fee of mobilisation cost for a project. It was proven by the investigative branch of the government at the end to be bogus and the company address as stated in the documents presented to the ministry of finance was an address in the UK belonging to a hair dressing shop. As far back 1992 when the NPRC government took over through a coup detat, the young head of state then in Africa (26yrs of age) Capt. Valentine E Strasser was flown out of Sierra Leone in a private jet by a diamond magnet to Belgium with a very large consignment of diamonds to the tune of millions of dollars for which little was realised by himself Strasser, the people of Sierra Leone or government then. There are many variations on this type of scam to governments and leadership in Africa examples very evident in the history of leaders like Mobutu of Zaire now DRC, Abacha of Nigeria and many others who deposited large sums of money into international bank accounts which has only benefited the banks and their syndicates using different breeds of approaches.

Today Sierra Leone is experiencing its own perspective of 419 and its effect on the economy in its dynamism. This development is not new and did not start only yesterday or in President E B Koroma’s government. It has been a canker in other governments manifesting in different shapes and forms within the economical structure of the country. It is like a virus that germinates in the wickest parts of ones physiological and corporeal faculty. "Crave for easy wealth breeds in this analogy the vices of society; decay and greed within the economy are the culprits turning a nation into an animal kingdom".

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

419 scams starts with a letter e-mail sent to many target recipients making an offer that will ultimately result in a large payoff for the intended victim. The stories behind the offers vary, but the standard plot is that a person or government entity is in possession of a large amount of money, oil quotas, diamonds or gold. This person, for myriad reasons, either cannot access the wealth directly or is no longer in need of it. Such people, who are either real but impersonated people or fictional characters played by the scammer, could include the wife of a deposed African leader or top officials, a dictator, a terminally ill wealthy person, a wealthy foreigner who had deposited money in the bank just before dying in a plane crash leaving no will or known next of kin, a U.S. soldier who has stumbled upon a hidden cache of gold in Iraq, a business being audited by the government, a disgruntled worker or corrupt government official who has embezzled funds, a refugee and similar characters. The money could be in the form of gold bullion, gold dust, money in a bank account, diamonds, a series of cheque's or bank drafts, and so forth. The sums involved are usually in the millions of dollars, and the investor is promised a large share, often forty percent or more, if they will assist the scam character in retrieving the money from holding and/or dispense of it. The proposed deal is often presented as a harmless white-collar crime, in order to dissuade participants from later contacting the authorities. Whilst most recipients do not respond to these emails, scammers are able to gain victims through sheer greed. Victims who attempt to check the background of the offer will often find that all pieces fit perfectly into place. Such scammers can often lure wealthy investors, investment groups, or other business entities into scams resulting in multi-million dollar losses. However, many scammers are part of less organized gangs or are operating independently; such scammers have reduced access to the above connections and thus have little success with wealthier investors or business entities, but are still convincing to middle-class individuals and small businesses, and can exploit and milk hundreds of thousands of dollars from such victims.

A 419 scammer will introduce a delay or monetary hurdle that prevents the deal from occurring as planned, such as "in order to transmit the money, we need to bribe a government or bank official. Could you help us with some money or a loan?" or "In order for you to be allowed to be a party to the transaction, you need to have holdings at a local bank of $50,000 or more" or similar. More delays and more additional costs are added, always keeping the promise of an imminent large transfer alive, convincing the victim that the money they are currently paying will be covered several times over by the payoff. Sometimes psychological pressure is added by claiming that the other side, in order to pay certain fees, had to sell all belongings and borrow money on their house pointing out the different salary scale and living conditions in Africa compared to the West. Much of the time, the needed psychological pressure is self-applied; once the victims have put money in toward the payoff, they feel they have a vested interest in seeing the "deal" through. Some victims of greed intentions believe that they can cheat the 419 scammer.

The essential fact in all advance fee fraud operations is that the promised money transfer never happens because the money or gold does not exist or if it does, it is fake. The perpetrators rely on the fact that, by the time the victim realizes this (often only after being confronted by a third party who has noticed the transactions or conversation and recognized the scam), the victim may have sent thousands of dollars of their own money, and sometimes thousands or millions more that has been borrowed or stolen to the scammer via an untraceable and/or irreversible means such as wire transfers or banks with collaborators in connection with the deal. The spam e-mails perpetrating these scams are often sent from Internet cafés equipped with satellite Internet very difficult to trace its IP address. Recipient addresses and email content are copied and pasted into a web mail interface using a standalone storage medium such as a memory card. Many African countries Internet providers (ISP's) contain many shady cyber cafés that serve scammers. During the courses of many schemes, scammers ask victims to supply bank account information. Usually this is bait devised by the scammer to gauge the victim's gullibility. Scammers often request that payments be made using a wire transfer service like Western Union and Money gram. The reason given by the scammer will usually relate to the speed at which the payment can be received and processed allowing quick release of the supposed payoff. The real reason is that wire transfers and similar methods of payment are irreversible, untraceable and because identification beyond knowledge of the details of the transaction is often not required, completely anonymous. Telephone numbers used by scammers tend to come from mobile phones. A scammer may purchase an inexpensive mobile phone and a pre-paid SIM card without submitting subscriber information. If the 419 scammers believed they are being traced, they throw their mobile phones into wastebaskets and purchase new mobile phones. Some crime syndicates in Africa employ the services of fraudsters in Europe, Asia and the United States who conclude deals for them or threaten victims who try to leave deals. It has become a double edge sword.

SUGGESTION TO A SOLUTION IN CONCLUSION

Government of Sierra Leone especially as a case study in my thesis and other whitepapers must have an internationally promoted blue print and agenda for doing business in country by appointing International Trade and Business Ambassadors at large representing the country in various potentially and economically viable zones where there are no diplomatic missions or lack of funds to promote business and trade activities. Individuals appointed must be resourceful with an hybrid experience of proven track record in business to facilitate and promote local business activities and the vast resource potentials of the country as a lobbyist. Expenditures must be source from a percentage of benefits brought to the country and must report directly to an economic think tank setup by the president. Many other countries had been very successful in this approach with less expense to the coffers of government and greater dividends to the GNP. The new British Mayor Boris Johnson has just appointed a new deputy a renown businessman that has accepted a salary of £1.00 (One Pound) a year for the job without emoluments. This is the caliber of individuals a country needs to propel and advance its agenda without selfishness, compromise or prejudice. I hope my brothers will copy by example.

Removing political formalities and bottle necks will invite more business investments making things flexible, transparent and easier for government to concentrate on local issues exonerating it from negative actions and stigmas caused by fly by night businessmen.

Its must empower trade and business citizens both local and in the Diaspora of international experience, clout and recognition knowledge base in their activities to work with embassies in the trade and business sectors, setting standards, gathering information of potential business investors, scrutinizing and building dossier for onward transmission to the various areas of governance before arrival to the country of the so called investors for meetings and dialogue with government officials arm with the information about their supposed client businessman investor.

Must categories and classified investors by their status verified, areas of interests and capitalisation so that they can enjoy privileges and benefits as an incentive for their potentiality of wanting to do business in the country observing all legitimate and proper channels and conduit of doing business in Sierra Leone.

Government must realise that there is a vast difference between political ambassadors from trade and business ambassadors. In modern advance world of international diplomacy, both have different classifications because of the versatility and experience which it has proven in most cases, the average ambassador does not possess, and has not brought dividends in many cases in terms of promoting the country effectively. Definition of an ambassador is a representative, selling and promoting the image, assets and potentials of a country and its people. Because he is the mirror and face of the country. Many of ambassadors worldwide, if you look at the experiences and criteria for appointments are more of businessmen than academicians in today’s technological driven global society. In Africa we appoint more academicians and intellectuals to ambassadorial status than businessmen. This is why there is not much to show for in dividends or returns in their sojourn. Governments or Politicians do not have many permanent friends, but businessmen does that's the difference. Businessmen as ambassadors are more result oriented directly benefiting the country and economy than the academicians or political ambassadors. This is an option only for the country to decide which direction or place it wants to take or manifest itself in the global arena. There is even room for both options balanced by the type of policy adoption and promotion of intent by the government of the day.

Genuine businessmen will go through intelligence reports available on the Internet or check source proposal on country of interest which is not a secret in today’s ICT globalise open information society before starting negotiations or transactions in any capacity or business dealings for the fear of compromising integrity. Those who become victims are aware of the risk they are taking by the red flag and alerts given by Embassies and other organizations warning visitors and businessmen and women to various countries about 419 scammers. This is the main reason embassies do not intervene in such situation in fear of embarrassments with their hosts. Who is victim or beneficiary in 419 scamming? , the one who is aware of his actions wanting to buy gold costing today over a 1000 dollars an ounce for $200 outside the government controlled GGDO?, diamonds at rock bottom prices out witting the royalties and taxation regime, or $250.000.00 invested to gain a so called deposit of 1 billion of late Gen Sani Abacha`s hidden booty? Countries in West Africa with red flag and warnings cited by state department country reports are found in yahoo and Google include Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. Countries outside of West Africa with 419 warnings cited include South Africa, Spain, and The Netherlands. Growing at rapid rate is the Asia continent with China and India becoming notorious.

OPINION

Who is guilty of an offence and under which crime to be prosecuted, when the funds brought into the country by so called victims are not deposited or declared through the normal business proposed channels or central banks according to regulations, and if so, source of income declared because of the quantum amounts usually involved from the so called victims cases are tantamount to scrutiny for money laundering by existing standards and benchmark for doing business globally. Is this episode scamming on the African side? And money laundering on the victim’s side? Two wrongs do not make anybody right. I am not holding brief for anyone here but merely playing the devils advocate and let’s call a spade a spade and what is good for the gander is good for the geese. This awareness will help stop illegal transactions  involving or bringing countries image into disrepute by so called greedy and shylock businessmen roaming, invading and exploiting African economies to its detriments because of the greed of a few so called businessmen and women from bigger economies. Give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser and unto the Lord what is the Lord’s- But who is Ceaser and who is the Lord here?!!!!!!!

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RECEPTION FOR PRESIDENT ERNEST B KOROMA 

AT THE RESIDENCE OF THE AMBASSADOR OF SIERRA LEONE TO GHANA  H.E. YASSANNEH 

Ambassador Receiving Mr Syl Juxon Smith    Mr Syl Juxon Smith and President EB Koroma Sharing Pleasantries

President Koroma continues to trumpet a clarion note to all Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad to make their own contribution to the motherland which is having significant effect judging by the numerous response from locals, other nationals and friends of SL. The country can now rely on a magnanimous, tolerant, compassionate and very discipline leader capturing the hearts and minds of all by his God fearing and reconciliatory approach which is the prerequisite and ingredients for moving a nation forward. Let Us all give him the support to make a change for a better Sierra Leone.     

TransAfrica2000 will soon resume its activities within the Communications, Information, Technology & Security Industry in Sierra Leone as well as its consultancy in the mineral sector. The company was the first African company with foreign partnership to have a full distributorship including technical manpower with expatriate team from MOTOROLA directly supporting most of the region communications infrastructure. Its activities were closed down due to the war escalation and the nature of its operations and services to Embassies, Businesses, Mining Sector, Police, Army, International Organisations etc.

Our confidentiality and trust was the highest enjoyed by the numerous clients base in and out of the country. Most of them have contacted us, appealing for us to resume our activities in providing them with modern ICT and Digital security services to facilitate their business activities.   

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SECURITY SERVICES & CONSULTING ( AFRICA)

CLICK TO CYBER CRIME VIDEO UPDATE By Peter Gould's report from the BBC

Security Awareness as part of Overall Fraud, Risk and Security Strategy

Culled from ASIS for your perusal

In today's corporate environment, there is no denying that security awareness is fast becoming an issue of paramount importance. The recent high profile cases of security breaches, often due to an apparent lack of understanding by staff, only seem to point a bright spotlight on the need to focus on the human element as the key to building a robust information security culture within an organisation.

For any Information Security practitioner, it is essential to understand that building and promoting a culture of security awareness at all levels, from their end users to their own internal Security team, is the best way to assist their business to evolve and meet the ever-changing threat conditions they face. In doing so, they will be able to assist their businesses to create profit, stay one step ahead of competitors and provide a platform to tackle emerging business markets.

This meeting will focus on ways of building and sustaining of awareness among users as an integral part of an overall Security Strategy, to allow Security practitioners to effectively fulfil their role as a true enabler to their organisations' business objectives.

Our speakers will include Nick Mann, Head of Group Fraud, Risk & Security at Vodafone; Jeff Brooker of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who will deliver an overview of what the BERR Security Breaches Survey 2008 says about information awareness; Ian Menzies, Professional Information Protection at Motorola; Philip Virgo, Secretary General of EURIM; James Willison, Convergence Lead at ASIS UK; and Alberto Bottini, Manager Security Processes, Training and Awareness at Vodafone Italy.

As always, we will ensure that additional time is factored into the programme for networking amongst our ASIS members.

This gathering looks set to be another very successful affair and we would be grateful if you could confirm whether or not you will be able to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.

Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing criminal activities on the planet. It covers a huge range of illegal activity including financial scams, computer hacking, downloading pornographic images from the internet, virus attacks, stalking by e-mail and creating websites that promote racial hatred.

"Cybercrime is defined by British police as the use of any computer network for crime and the high-tech criminals of the digital age have not been slow to spot the opportunities".

The cost is staggering. The German foreign minister Joschka Fischer recently put the global figure at more than $40bn a year. "Without doubt, this is only the beginning," he told an international conference sometime ago. "Data espionage and data theft, credit card fraud, child pornography, far-right extremism and terrorists are ever more common on the internet."

Given the extent to which computers have become a part of modern life, it was inevitable that some people would see the wired world as an opportunity to make money or cause mischief.

The term hacking was originally used to describe an audacious practical joke, but has become better known as a term for the activities of computer enthusiasts who pit their skills against the IT systems of governments and big corporations. The handiwork of some hackers, or "crackers" as they are known in the computer industry, has had disastrous results. The "love-bug" virus crippled at least 45 million computers worldwide and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

Then there is fraud and extortion. Some hackers have broken into the computer systems of banks and other businesses, with the intention of stealing money - or information like credit card numbers, which are just as valuable to the criminal.

90% of US companies which responded to a Computer Security Institute survey said they had detected computer security breaches in the previous year

74% acknowledged financial losses as a result of the breaches of security

273 organisations quantified their financial losses: the total bill came to $265m.

25% of respondents detected penetration from outside their company

79% detected employee abuse of the internet, for example downloading pornography or pirated software

85% detected computer viruses

Source: CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey

CSI director Patrice Rapalus believes the trends are disturbing. "Cybercrimes and other information security breaches are widespread and diverse today. Scams by cyber-criminals include setting up bogus companies on the Net. Unsuspecting buyers are offered products at tempting prices, and then supply their credit card details - only to find that the site suddenly disappears. No phone number, no address and no redress. The dot com becomes a dot con.

Another 21st century crime is identity theft. This usually does not involve hacking at all. Criminals can trawl the web or other public databases for information about someone's date of birth, social security number and address and then use that to apply for credit cards and run up huge bills. It is easy to do and as a result is one of the fastest growing crimes in the US.

The availability of hard-core pornography on the internet, including material aimed at paedophiles, has helped to give it a bad name. But it is not just the police who are cracking down - many companies now routinely monitor the sites their employees visit online, and those who download pornography run the risk of being fired.