October is named as cyber security awareness month since 2004. Every year since then, the world is observing cyber security month with different activities mainly focusing on awareness creation to the general public. This year marks the 20th years of Cyber Security Awareness Month, celebrated across the world. The month is dedicated to cyber related awareness creation campaigns for the private and public sectors to work hand-in-hand to raise awareness about the importance of giving care for cyber security.
Securing critical resources in the cyberspace and ensuring secure online communications is the target of the awareness-creation campaign. The 2023 theme of the cyber security awareness month is “Secure our world,” and the cyber security month is celebrated worldwide by different activities. As cyber-attacks are growing to a warfare level and cybercrimes are growing from year to year with huge destructions, each country gives due focus to securing their cyber infrastructure and the whole cyber system. And raising awareness to the general public is the first step in combating cyber-attacks, as human error is among the main reasons for cyber-attacks.
Technology ownership, trained and skilled human resource in the sector and aware society are among the critical steps in securing the cyber infrastructure in addition to building a 24/7 alert cyber army. Countries are creating and strengthening cyber security institutions to safeguard their cyber infrastructure of a sovereign country and to defend cyber-attack attempts.
Ethiopia is celebrating cyber security awareness month and this year’s theme for the campaign in Ethiopia is “Resilient cyber capability for national sovereignty.” Organized by Ethiopia’s cyber institution, the Information Network Security Administration (INSA), different awareness creation campaigns, seminars and discussions are being conducting to continue the whole month.
As part of the cyber awareness campaigns, INSA inaugurated a movie conducted on Ethiopia’s cyber army. The movie entitled “Invisible War” focuses on the cyber related attacks on Ethiopia and the Ethiopia’s cyber army capability and abilities in defending these attacks and securing Ethiopia’s cyber sovereignty. INSA builds a cyber-army safeguarding Ethiopia from internal and external, from group and country initiated attacks on various infrastructures and key sectors both public and private sector.
“The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) becomes among the key projects targeted by cyber-attack of those who stands on the opposite side of the national interest of Ethiopia. To minimize the risks in this sensitive sector and to safeguard the national security, national development and key development projects from cyber-attacks, it is critical to build a strong and resilient cyber security army. At this century, cyber security is becoming a serious national survival issue,” Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Demeke Mekonnen said.
On his opening remarks during the fourth year nationwide and 20th worldwide Cyber Security Month, DPM and FM Demeke said that cyber security is becoming the new warfare and protecting national security is unthinkable without building resilient cyber security at this century. “Those with latest cyber technologies and capable cyber professionals keep their national security and national interest in the highly complex and competitive sector which touches all social, political, economic and diplomatic activities of countries,” he stated.
Demeke noted that countries are widely using cyber security for their development endeavors and investing on it using all the capacities they have to protect their national interests in the competitive international arena. As to him if wisely managed, the cyber space is becoming very essential for the development endeavors of countries, but at the same time, without proper management, the cyber sector is becoming a serious national threat.
“The cyber technology has its own gains and benefits to develop competitiveness,” Demeke noted adding “similarly, without properly managing it and without having a resilient cyber army, its consequences is destructive.” Hence, given the fast development of the cyber technology with immense benefits and consequences, it needs strong investments in the sector to develop it and to build resilient cyber army at national and institutional levels.
“In this regard, the Information Network Security Administration is playing a vital role in defending Ethiopia’s cyber space from attacks and in developing cyber literacy in the society,” he stated. The competition in the science and technology sector is innovating new and unimaginable technological products and these technologies are touching positively and negatively the lives of all. “By understanding its impacts, we have to act with the time and the technological developments to be stay in the competition,” Demeke noted.
Unless we keep working on cyber space, FM and DPM Demeke underlined, it is unthinkable to protect the national sovereignty and national interests in this technology dominated era. The countries that create strong capability in the cyber space are using the information from the sector in their relations with other countries, he stated. According to him, the cyber sector is using by countries to keep their geopolitical interests and to protect their national interests in their interactions with other countries including diplomatic activities and negotiations.
“Countries like Ethiopia with undeveloped cyber technology and high geopolitical significance due to their strategic location become among the top vulnerable countries for cyber-attacks. Hence, if we want to survive, it is impossible to remain behind the cyber technology.Building resilient cyber institutions and cyber army is a timely action for Ethiopia,” he underlined. To minimize the vulnerability of cyber-attacks, building resilient capability and strengthening cyber diplomacy are very critical.
“The competition, vulnerability and threats are growing and becoming more complex. We have to be proactive, ready and remain resilient to safeguard our national interest and national sovereignty.” In this regard, Demeke recommends to invest in the young generation and in technology ownership by giving due attention for local innovations in the sector.
For his part, INSA Director General, Solomon Soka stated that the infrastructural destruction and financial lost due to cyber-attacks is growing at global level. What makes the sector more difficult is that, the source of cyber-attacks is invisible due to the complicated and borderless nature of the sector. “More sophisticated technologies and innovations are adding in to the sector which makes the sector more complicated and using these technologies hackers are easily attacking the sovereignty of countries,” he stated.
“By 2025, the world is predicted to lose over 10.5 trillion USD and compared with the three trillion lose in 205, the consequence and destruction of cyber-attack is highly growing,” Solomon stated. He added that cybercrimes and attacks are also growing in type and in number on Ethiopia. Only in 2022/23 budget year, INSA saved over 23.2 billion birr from cyber-attacks thanks to the professionals alerted 24/7 “and we are working day and night to secure our country’s cyber space and its sovereignty in the sector.”
Cyber warfare is becoming a new competition sector and even a battlefield among countries and building capable and resilient cyber institutions with well-equipped cyber army is a top priority of countries. To defend the sovereignty and national interests, to keep the national development safe and secure from the invisible war, technology and skills ownership, building skilled cyber army and investing in cyber literacy is becoming a serious agenda of countries.
Cyber warfare is invisible war and is becoming a serious threat for all countries. But, the countries which own the technology and the skilled human resource are protecting their national interests while the developing countries continue to be vulnerable for the cybercrimes and its destructions.
As part of the cyber month campaign, INSA inaugurated last Sunday a movie that focuses on Ethiopia’s struggle in combating cyber-related crimes. The movie entitled “Invisible War”, which is based on a true story shows Ethiopia’s cyber army efforts, capability and readiness in safeguarding Ethiopia’s institutions and its sovereignty in the sector.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER 2023
