Online fraud, unauthorised access top cyber crimes

The National Cyber Security Authority has received complaints of cyber-related incidents from 3,384 persons in the country since 2019.

The incidents bordered on online fraud, unauthorised access to data and online blackmail and impersonation.

The rest are publication of non-consensual intimate images, information disclosure as well as online child exploitation and abuse.

The statistics showed that online fraud and unauthorised access topped the list, recording about 60 per cent of the total reported cases.

Online blackmail recorded 20 per cent, online impersonation five per cent and publication of non-consensual intimate images and information disclosure recorded three and 12 per cent, respectively.

This came to light last Wednesday at a forum organised by the authority for civil society organisations.

The forum brought together CSOs from across the country to discuss the regulation of cyber security through a strategic partnership.

Surge

The Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr Albert Antwi Boasiako, in a speech read on his behalf called for the collaborative support of the public and stakeholders to build a secure and resilient cyberspace in the country.

He stated that internet usage in the country had increased exponentially from 2.31 million in 2012 to 17 million users in 2022.

That meant about 53 per cent of the population now used the Internet which meant that the average time spent per internet user on mobile phones alone was above five hours daily.

“As of January 2022, Ghana was ranked third globally in the use of social media, an indication of reliance of the population on the Internet for various spheres of life, including education, lifestyle, businesses and entertainment,” he said.

As dependency on digital technology increased across the world, Dr Antwi Boasiako said, cybercrime also surged, with its impact affecting businesses, financial institutions and other critical information infrastructure worldwide.

“Cybercriminals are seizing every opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities against people, businesses and organisations; having a grave impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and networks, including critical information infrastructures,” he said.

CSOs

The Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaa Boateng, said engagement with CSOs was an indication of the government’s appreciation of the role they played in the socio-economic development of the country and a commitment to continue working with them to develop cyber security in the country.

“CSOs are not left out of the digital experiences as they increasingly rely on digital technology and the Internet for their operations and service delivery; however, they are increasingly at risk of cyber security incidents,” she said.

Maintaining cyber resilience, she said, was necessary in ensuring organisational resilience to prepare for, defend against and recover from cyber incidents when they occurred.

“The Government of Ghana is committed to ensuring that the rights of citizens’ offline are equally protected online, and this can best be achieved if we work together, Ms Boateng added.