Universities in particular are being asked to show an interest in investing in cybersecurity and building capacity to defend their systems in light of the numerous data fraud and hacking events.
Professor Goski Alabi, the president of Laweh University College, claims that cybercrime is still a problem for academic institutions and that addressing it will take a deliberate and coordinated effort.
She cited how many colleges prioritize sextortion while discussing academic integrity.
However, the example of people manipulating data through cybercrime is another problem that is stealthily destroying organizations.
“Academic integrity and academic fraud are not only limited to Africa or Ghana – it is a global phenomenon; and what we are saying more and more has to do with concerns over sextortion, which is sex for grades.
“But one of the biggest challenges academic institutions are facing globally has to do with cybercrimes, and I think it is important that we recognise this because it affects academic integrity. So there is a need to have more concerted and comprehensive approaches to addressing it,” she told the media.
She added that given the existence of open universities like her institution, where learning online is mostly allowed, it has become vital to train staff against fraud.
“We advocate that there should be continuous professional development as a requirement for every institution to train their Information Technology personnel as well as cybersecurity offices. Specifically, it has to do with data governance and information management systems that are in place and how the critical control points are managed within systems,” she indicated.
Cyberattacks
The World Economic Forum’s global cybersecurity outlook report indicates that cyberattacks increased 125 percent globally in 2021, with evidence suggesting an upward rise in 2022.
Acting Principal Consultant at e-Crime Bureau, a leading cyber security, digital forensics and intelligence firm, Philip Debrah Danquah, reiterated that the country has made significant strides with its growth in cybersecurity and data protection by establishing the Data Protection Commission and the Cyber Security Authority.
The country’s cybersecurity advancement, which was placed third in Africa by the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2021, is proof of this, the speaker continued.
To strengthen the business posture of institutions, he added, research and industry evaluations have indicated that despite the progress made, cyberattacks, fraud, phishing, data breaches, and sophisticated hacks necessitate skills able to detect, respond to, and prevent these gaps.
