Crime & Punishment of Monday, 12 October 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Cybersecurity Bill to cater extensively for prosecution of cybercrime – Andah

Deputy Communications Minister, George Andah Deputy Communications Minister, George Andah

Deputy Communications Minister, George Andah, has said the enactment of the Cybersecurity Bill when passed into law will extensively cater for prosecution of cybercrime.

According to him, the bill which has been presented to Cabinet for consideration will also ensure robust regulation of the cybersecurity ecosystem in Ghana.

This was revealed at a Cybersecurity Roundtable Forum as part of the month-long National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra on Monday, October 12, 2020.

“Many high-ranking Government officials have also been the target for impersonation and identity theft cases. This means that Government in collaboration with key stakeholders, need to strengthen existing protocols to ensure intensified resilience of various ICT systems used by the public and institutions of the various sectors of the economy,” George Andah said.

Meanwhile, a total of 11,545 reports have been made between January and August 2020 through the Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Point of Contact (POC) which was launched last year.

Prominent among the incidents reported are phishing, malware, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, among others.

The theme for this year edition of the National Cyber Security Awareness month is ‘Cybersecurity in the Era of COVID-19’ with a focus on reflecting on current trends on cybersecurity incidents as a result of the increasing use of digital platforms by individuals, businesses and governments for socio-economic activities in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The event will also educate children, the public, businesses and Government stakeholders on cyber hygiene best practices, consistent with the Safer Digital Ghana campaign.