Kenya witnessed increased cyber threats in the three months period to December with more than 1.2 billion cases recorded.
This from 123 million threats detected in the previous quarter, representing a 943 per cent jump.
Latest Communications Authority of Kenya report attributes the increase to the enhancement of the country's cyber threat monitoring capabilities, and the increased exploitation of 'system vulnerabilities' fuelled by increased deployment and use of Internet devices.
Malware, brute force, web application and mobile application attacks stood at 13.2, 9.7, 0.07 and 0.05 million cases, respectively.
"In response to the threats, the National Cyber Security Centre issued 8.06 million advisories in the period under review," the report reads.
It represented a 44.4 per cent increase compared to the 5.6 million that were issued in the previous quarter.
"During the period, system misconfiguration attacks were the most prevalent, which aligns with the with global trends in cyber threat activity where malware attacks, and more specifically ransomware, were most rampant," states CA
Commenting on the figures broadcasting and telecommunications PS Edward Kisiang’ani said the advisories were directed to various actors within the critical infrastructure ecosystem, warning them of the impending attacks and guiding them on what remedies they should institute.
Key targets include Internet Service Providers (ISPs), cloud service providers, government and the education sector.
He said the probable impact on the economy would be enormous in the event of any successful cyber-attacks on the aforementioned sectors.
Yearly data by CA for the year 2022/23 shows Kenya recorded 860 million cyber-attacks in 2023, the highest yet, witnessing an upsurge in the frequency, sophistication and scale of cyber-threats targeted at the country’s critical information infrastructure (CIIs).
Of the attacks, 79 per cent were a result of cyber criminals exploiting flaws and vulnerabilities in organisations' internal controls, system procedures and information systems, which they used to gain unauthorised access to the computer systems.
To address increased cyber security threats in the country, Kisiang’ani said the government is upgrading threat detection systems as well as training key personnel to deal with such threats.
“In light of the increased complexity and sophistication of cyber threats, we also remain at hand to collaborate with countries in the region in mitigating cross-border cyber threats within the global realities we all experience,” said the PS.
He spoke in Nairobi during the opening ceremony of the first African preparatory meeting for the upcoming 2025 World Telecommunications Development Conference.
Organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the forum seeks to champion various policy and infrastructural reforms aimed at accelerating the bridging of digital innovation divide.
This is mainly to ensure equitable digital future for all.
Pushing the African agenda through the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), African countries representatives during the meeting committed to head to the conference with common positions that will safeguard the interests of the continent.
ATU secretary general John Omo said the Union would advocate for favourable policies and regulations, as well as for improved investment in the development of telecommunications in the continent.
“We will also seek to presents Africa’s interests to ensure the African voice shapes the global telecommunication/ICT agenda,” Omo said.
Communications Authority of Kenya director general David Mugonyi asked ITU to assist the region in managing Universal Service Funds.
“In most African countries, these funds are well resourced but the utilisation rates still remain a challenge, which effectively denies citizens living in unserved and under-served regions of the transformative benefits associated with ICTs,” Mugonyi said.