BY ATEMNKENG EMILIENE
The National Agency for Information and Communication Technology- ANTIC, Cameroon has empowered teachers and ICT users in Bamenda, with the right skills to over some common threats they face on a daily basis.
The three days training seminar which started on Wednesday 27 to Friday October 29, 2021 was aimed at strengthening the capacities of Lecturers and teachers to efficiently and effectively teach ICTs users, on the dangers inherent in the usage of these new technologies and adopt the best practices to stay online through the implementation of preventive measures.
According to the North West Regional Manager of the ANTIC, Yufenyuy Landry Ngwang, the number of young persons involved in cybercrimes in the North Region is rising.
He pointed phishing, Identity theft, data breach, fake news, ransomware, hacking to be the most common threats around the cyber space as hackers holds data hostage in exchange for money or other demands.
Ngwang explained the difference between phishing and identity theft, he said phishing is an attack leverage social engineering by exploiting human emotions to trick victims into giving up sensitive information such as income and email addresses, pass words or credit card details.
While, identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal identifying information like email addresses, passwords and pretends to be you inorder to commit fraud or to gain other financial benefits online.
The branch manager noted that” a data breach is a security incident in which private or sensitive information ( such as student’s data) is accessed without authorisation.
Hence, areas like basic ICTs and cybercrime concepts, cyber security and enforcement in Cameroon, how to identify and pre-empt Cyber crimes and the legal measures to be undertaken by victims to seek, redress and the role played by ANTIC in promoting the safe use of ICTs among others were handled.
Cross section of participating after the workshop
The General Manager of the ANTIC, Prof. Ebot Ebot Enow has reassured the people that ANTIC has the responsibility to liaise with Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms to protect the interest and secure cyber space for Cameroonian consumers as a regulatory body.
“This is why partnership agreements have already been signed with some of these platforms in a bid to improve user experience and satisfaction’’ Prof. Ebot Enow said.
He added that, teachers and lecturers have been able to acquire skills needed to integrate cyber security in ICT courses in a bid to educate youths -principal users of ICTs on the dangers inherent in the usage of these new technologies.
As over Fifty-50 teachers have recieve lectures on several modules amongst them general concepts on cybercrime, legal framework and human rights, privacy and data protection, digital forensics and cybercrime, ICTs for education and challenges in the Covid-19 era throughout the seminar.
ANTIC has disclosed that they have been able to identify more than 4000 fake Facebook accounts since 2019 and close to 3000 of them have been closed down in collaboration with Facebook during thier first sessions of the seminar.
North West Regional Manager of the ANTIC, Yufenyuy Landry Ngwang, speaking during the seminar
ANTIC has been able to help about 40 Facebook pages of Ministers and top government officials to be verified. This makes it easy to identify authentic Facebook accounts from false ones.
The Second Deputy Mayor of the Bamenda City Council, Lucas Ngu Afong who jointly opened the seminar expressed his satisfaction with the ANTIC and secondary school partnership to build a firm mechanism against cybercrime.
The North Regional Delegate for Secondary Education, Ngwang Roland Yuven admitted the marvelous works of ANTIC that, cyber threats and security is a serious problem in his sector especially with students, reasons why he sees the works being done by ANTIC to be very necessary.
ANTIC, is responsible for regulating the activities of electronic security and regulations of the internet in Cameroon. Hence, the seminar was fully within ANTIC‘s mission of securing National Cyber space.
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