Catholic University, Buea

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Experts brainstorm on cyber security
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea
Some Cyber Security experts of the Catholic University Institute of Buea, (CUIB), the United States and across Cameroon on Friday concluded a two day conference aimed at equipping Cameroonians with skills for the protection of Data and the internet. They also addressed other challenges and proposed possible solutions to the growing cyber delinquency common in Buea and the entire nation.
    The two day conference (5th and 6th March), came against the backdrop of a sub-regional forum on cyber criminality that took place last week in Yaounde. It had as participants; experts, students, computer teachers and other stakeholders in the computer field.
Mr. Ngatcheu Damian- acting Dean of the School of Information Technology at CUIB, emphasized that there is much in store with the initiative to fight Cyber Crimes.

    While stressing on the need to fight cyber criminality, Mr. Divine Anye urged employers to satisfy their employees, because, it is only when employees are disgruntled that they turn against their organization and disclose information or hack the company’s website. According to him, “cybercrime is the challenge everybody faces today”.
    While analyzing Cameroonian laws on cybercrime and security enacted in 2008, Mr. Aghabo Cusmos maintained that Cameroonian websites are one of the most vulnerable in the world because they can easily be scythed owing to lack of standard cyber security and the fact that there are no well-trained institutions to challenge cybercrime in Cameroon. It is a similar situation with Cameroon’s police force, most of whose officers lack basic computer knowledge to fight the online crimes and other related computer crimes.
    Scammers and other computer related offenders well known in the communities are responsible for the reckless accidents on our roads as a result of their constant drinking and driving with ill, fast gotten wealth. This is due to lack of driving experience and their drunken state. All because they can hack websites and get money easily and as such spend it in reckless ways, which often lead to disastrous ends detrimental to the society, Mr. Divine Anye added.
    Participants at the two-day conference recommended the creation and use of sturdy passwords of at least eight characters, avoid clicking “yes” or “cancel” on pop ups, avoid using laptops in public, and back up important information of the organization, as some of the ways of preventing cyber-criminality.. Neglect of these little tips has caused companies and individuals to lose or spend huge sums of money to fight hackers. The need for cyber analysts was emphasized and cyber security to be tackled as a management problem in order to protect employers and employees from falling prey to cyber criminals.