In the All-digital age, cybercrime is a major challenge. It requires special attention on legal and regulatory plan. Cyber defence consultant Diègue Nifasha highlights the importance of a strong legal framework in the fight against cybercrime and highlights future prospects by highlighting the challenges and possible solutions. Knowing that cybercrime takes various forms, it can have harmful consequences for individuals, companies and even States. Our renowned guest in cyber defence shed light on the means of defence to be granted to face this scourge, which causes financial losses that are sometimes incalculable. Follow the interview integrality he accorded to ICT-News on Wednesday, December 18 in Bujumbura.
ICT-News: Cybercrime is a major challenge in the All-digital age. Criminals commit crimes online. These packages take various forms, including sophisticated computer attacks, online fraud facilitated by the theft of victims’ credentials. What are the means of defence to deal with such crimes?
Diègue Nifasha: The means of defence against classic crimes also apply against crimes in cyberspace: prevention, detection, repression, deterrence and resilience tools must be implemented by States to protect themselves. These include the laws that qualify these crimes, and Burundi has already made progress on this point, but also a dedicated institutional framework and appropriate technological means for companies and critical infrastructure. To this must be added mechanisms for international cooperation, given the very nature of cybercrime, which can be perpetrated by international organized crime actors.
ICT-News: The nature of cybercrime is complex and constantly evolving. Cybercriminals exploit the vulnerability of computer systems, the speed of online communications and the anonymity offered by cyberspace. Have you already detected the types of cybercrime encountered in burundian cyberspace?
Diègue Nifasha: Burundi has set itself the challenge of accelerating the digitization of services to citizens. The crimes that can be encountered in other countries that are more advanced in this area will therefore not belong in becoming a real threat to Burundi. However, even today, Burundian cyberspace is already recording several crimes that range from identity theft on social networks to cybercriminal intrusions in certain institutions and companies, including credential theft by user manipulation.
ICT-News: In dealing with cybercrime, the legal framework plays an important role. Laws and regulations must define cybercrime-related offenses. They must also establish appropriate penalties and put in place effective prosecution procedures. As a cyber defence expert operating in Burundi, do you think that such a framework already exists in Burundi. If so, how do you appreciate it? If not, what to do?
Diègue Nifasha: Burundi has Law No. 1/10 of March 16, 2022 on the prevention and repression of cybercrime in Burundi. To date, it is the main text of the legal framework for this fight and it contains provisions that are quite dissuasive against cybercrime. Nevertheless, there is a lack of agreement on the implementation of this text and this is a huge challenge for its effective implementation.
ICT-News: Cybercriminals use sophisticated technologies to commit crimes online, endangering the security and privacy of individuals, organizations, and even governments. Today, the Burundian State intends to execute its flagship project of digitalization of public services. What are the issues and challenges posed by cybercrime in the age of digitalization?
Diègue Nifasha: Cybercrime is perpetrated with several motives that range from simple challenges to targeted attacks on a country’s critical infrastructure. The stakes of breaches of personal data and classified information are now in the millions of US dollars. The challenge posed by cybercrime is directly proportional to the role of digitalization in optimizing the country’s socio-economic performance. Yesterday’s criminals are likely to reinvent themselves and adapt to new digital ways of operating. The threat is therefore real.
ICT-News: Cybercrime can have a social dimension. I would be very disappointed to learn that among the motivations of cybercriminals in Burundi, social factors would be cited at a time when I consider that many Burundians are digitally illiterate. What do you say about it?
Diègue Nifasha: Burundians are far from being digitally illiterate: in its recent reports, the ARCT (Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency) indicates that more than 50% of the population has access to mobile telephony with a meteoric growth of digital financial services. The use of digital technology is therefore a reality for most Burundians, and this applies to related cybercriminal threats such as frauds or malicious manipulations. Widespread awareness against cybercrime is therefore timely and necessary.
ICT-News: Thank you for your interview.
Diègue Nifasha: I am the one who thanks you instead.
