Nairobi — Safaricom has hosted an industry-wide cyber security summit with a call on businesses, governments, and individuals to invest in technologies that protect sensitive information and critical systems from cyber threats.
The event, dubbed ‘Becoming a Cyber Resilient Organisation’, brought together close to 400 cybersecurity industry leaders and professionals physically and virtually to discuss the latest cyber security trends and evolving enterprise networks.
“Cybercrime is becoming increasingly professionalised, leading to a proliferation of numerous subtle and sophisticated threats. Attackers are constantly working on designing, building, and evolving solutions to bypass or overcome the most advanced cybersecurity solutions,” said Nicholas Mulila, Chief Corporate Security Officer, Safaricom PLC.
“This has created a landscape in which companies face more significant cyber threats than ever before,” Mulila added.
“As cyber threat actors refine their techniques, attacks will become even more common, and companies will face novel and more dangerous cyber threats.”
Statistics from the Communications Authority show that between July and September 2023, Kenya experienced more than 123 million cyber-threat events.
“At Safaricom, we continue to provide a variety of solutions that connect, protect, enable, and transform business, ensuring business continuity even in the face of cyber attacks,” said Cynthia Kropac, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Safaricom PLC.
“We offer security advisory, network security, online/data/web security, cyber security operations and physical security that includes a video surveillance system. We also have an enhanced cloud solution that is augmented with cyber security, and reliable connectivity and payment services,” she added.
Last year, the government introduced a National Cybersecurity Strategy (2022-2027) that outlines an implementation framework and timeline to address gaps in the changing cyberspace.
Other dignitaries present at the forum were Jackson Makewa, Director Cybersecurity, Department for Information Communications, and Colonel James Kimuyu, Director General, National Computer and Cybercrimes.