2024-04-15 15:55:31
Former consultant to the audit and consulting specialist Deloitte, Franck Kié created the Cyberops firm and the Cyber Africa Forum, the fourth edition of which takes place on April 15 and 16 in Abidjan. Interviewed by RFI, he noted that businesses in Africa are still far from having understood the threat. Interview can also be found in video on our site.
Published on: 04/15/2024 – 5:55 p.m.
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RFI: According to insurer Lloyd’s, a single cyberattack targeted on an international payment system could cost up to 3 500 billion dollars. What is the threat situation in Africa? ?
Franck Ki’s : The threat in Africa is real. For years, it was thought that the continent was not a target. I can tell you that I receive requests every day from clients who are facing a cyber risk. Last year, the number of cyberattacks per week was estimated at 1,800.
Are there a lot of African data for sale on the dark web? ?
This is not easy information to quantify. But this is happening more and more often. If I take a recent example, after the attack suffered by La Nouvelle Parfumerie Gandour in Ivory Coast in March, hackers put the stolen data for sale on the dark web.
Also read: How does the dark web work?
Who are the perpetrators of these attacks? ? Crooks, mafia gangs ?
About fifteen years ago, cybercrime mainly resulted from the action of “grazers”, who act in isolation or in small groups, not necessarily very organized. However, we notice that this crime is increasingly sophisticated. Africa cannot think that it is safe, including from state-led attacks as seen in other parts of the world.
Exactly, where are the States in terms of cybersecurity? ? Ten years after the Treaty of Malabo, which is one of the founding texts in terms of cyber defense, what have they done ?
Maturity levels are very heterogeneous in this area. Around fifteen states have ratified this treaty out of the fifty on the continent. The good students are the countries whose economy requires this upgrade. This is the case of South Africa, Morocco, Mauritius and Rwanda. Côte d’Ivoire also acted quickly, because it fell victim to cybercriminals very early on. And in recent years, other countries such as Benin and Togo have taken interesting initiatives.
What is the level of protection for businesses ?
He is very weak. Our economies are at risk. And this is sometimes worrying, to the extent that they are becoming digital and more and more interconnected.
Banks communicate relatively little about cyber risk, even though they are among the main targets. Are they transparent with their customers when an attack occurs? ?
Hard to say. One thing is certain: several banks have been targeted in West Africa and for some, it was whistleblowers or ethical hackers who revealed the attacks. Especially when the damage was significant.
Shouldn’t they be forced to communicate when it happens to them? ?
Naturally, as is the case for example in France or the United States. For me, this is an extremely important issue of transparency.
A year ago, the Ivorian authorities, in collaboration with Interpol, arrested in Abidjan a representative of the Opera1er cybergang, whose criminal activities caused damage to West African financial institutions estimated between 11 and 30 million dollars.
I think this harm is perhaps even higher than that. The results of the investigation, still ongoing, will tell. There is real complexity in identifying all the victims in this group, because they are spread across 10 countries. This involves a lot of cooperation and this is why, for several years, we have been campaigning through the Cyber Africa Forum for the creation of an African cooperation platform to strengthen the fight against cybercrime.
Is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) an opportunity to better defend against cyberattacks or an additional risk? ?
It’s definitely a risk. For criminals, it is an additional weapon to be able to automate and sophisticated their actions. But it is also an opportunity to anticipate. For example, AI makes it possible to analyze attacks suffered in more depth, and thus to better prepare your defense.
The entire video is available below, on video.
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