KAIPTC cautions companies against cyber threats
Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Griffith Santrofi Evans, Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has said there is the need for companies to be vigilant in the fight against cyber threats.
He said the risks and opportunities presented by digital technologies are enormous; as the enabling power of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) offered businesses immeasurable opportunities to connect and provide their services and products without geographical limitations.
AVM Evans said this at the opening of a cyber security course for top-level executives within government and private institutions.
The two-day course was organised by e-Crime Bureau in collaboration with the KAIPTC.
Its objective is to expose top-level executives to cyber threats and equip them with knowledge on risk mitigating strategies for their organisations.
It would also bring technical issues to the doorsteps of management; so that they could understand governance and policy requirements that are to be considered when preparing the environment to prevent cyber related issues that can potentially destroy their organisations in minutes.
He said cyber crime is no longer an Information Technology (IT) issue but now a function of an organisation’s risk management.
“KAIPTC is a collaborative institution, so we collaborate with national, international, and development institutions, as we are doing with e-Crime bureau for this particular course, to deepen your knowledge and develop your capabilities on the subject of Cyber Security,” he said.
He said the mission of the KAIPTC is to be a leading and preferred centre that provides globally-recognised capacity on African peace and security through training, education and research.
He said e-Crime Bureau is a pacesetter and a pioneering organisation on issues of cyber security, digital forensics and cyber security technology in the region of West Africa; declaring that this partnership is thus a union of two sub-regional giants in peace and security.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Philip Danquah Debrah, Business Operations Manager of e-Crime Bureau, said technology is growing and it is important to equip people from the highest level with the knowledge to understand risks and find solutions to cyber security issues.
He said as a pacesetter in cyber and forensics in terms of investigations, they observed that many companies have been compromised and the factors varied; stating that it was either their systems which were not secured or do not have the right technology to detect any vulnerability.
Mr Debrah said 60 per cent of cyber crime issues that occur within organisations had elements of employees, who were being used to perpetrate crimes or take certain actions that affect the systems that organisations run with.
He said in this regard there is a need to create the awareness and equip management members on how to prepare their environments, to be able to quickly respond to cyber threats.
Mr Debrah said the programme is one of many capacity building initiatives they would introduce to address specific industry needs, as they continue to experience advancement in technology.
He expressed the hope that the practical experience of the course would help address their cyber security and digital forensic needs.
Source: GNA