The environment of cyber insecurity in Angola could discourage foreign investment and hinder the growth of sectors that depend on digital technology, considers cybersecurity specialist, Fernando Samuel.
“Businesses and individuals can lose money directly through online fraud, ransomware, phishing and other types of cyber attacks”, said the expert, in an interview with FORBES ÁFRICA LUSÓFONA, calling on companies to invest in additional security measures, respond to security incidents and repair damage caused by attacks, which can be quite costly.
In Angola, according to the expert, cyber attacks are generally more registered in hospitals and health institutions, government and government agencies, including ministries, defense departments and other government bodies that have sensitive data and confidential information, in public financial institutions, such as state banks and other financial entities that handle large volumes of monetary transactions, as well as in public universities and schools, critical infrastructures, public transport systems.
"These sectors are often targets of attacks, due to the value of the data they store and the criticality of their operations, making them susceptible to various forms of attack, such as ransomware, phishing and denial of service (DDoS) attacks.”, he said.
Among the most common cybercrimes in Angola, he pointed out, are the cloning of credit cards, illicit transfers via internet banking, simulated sale of products over the Internet, espionage and incitement to violence.
"These crimes have caused significant economic losses to the country”, stated Fernando Caetano, author of the literary work “Crimes Cibernéticos”.
To mitigate these impacts, he defends the need to create a Computer Incident Response and Treatment Study Center (CERT) and Angola's accession to the Budapest Convention on computer crimes.
"It is crucial that Angola invests in cybersecurity infrastructure, promotes cybersecurity education and awareness, and develops robust policies to protect against cybercrime".
Global cybersecurity reports indicate that cyberattacks are increasing around the world, with global losses estimated at trillions of dollars annually. Meanwhile, in Angola, financial losses may be estimated at one billion kwanzas.
Angola is the second country in Africa with the highest record of cyber attacks, according to statements by the national director of cybersecurity at the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS), Hediantro Wilson Mena.
However, in the first half of 2023, more than a thousand cyber attacks were recorded on public and private companies in the country. Banking was the target of 6,9% of these attacks, while mobile phones represented 34,9%, mainly due to the lack of security measures on the part of users.
