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ADVANCEMENTS in modern technology have helped countries develop and expand their communication networks, enabling faster and easier networking and information exchange.
Currently, there are nearly 2 billion internet users and over 5 billion mobile phone connections worldwide. Every day, 294 billion emails and 5 billion phone messages are exchanged.
Most people around the world now depend on consistent access and accuracy of these communication channels. The growing popularity and convenience of digital networks, however, comes at a cost.
As businesses and societies in general increasingly rely on computers and internet- based networking, cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy have increased around the world.
A report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), shows more than US $445 billion gets lost annually with the damage for businesses nearly double than for individuals, through series of cyber crime, electronic theft, and online piracy.
The 2014 cyber security index from IBM Security Services shows that 23.1 per cent of cyber security incidents are targeted at finance and insurance industry.
Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) report of 2012 shows that the country has about 26,978,436 mobile phone subscribers. This situation extends the cyber crime challenge.
Tanzania, being the leading country as far as electronic money transfer through mobile phone is concerned, is a very vulnerable to cyber-crime and fraud. Mobile money transfer and others provide opportunities for the crime.
Reports show that Internet Security and Cyber Crimes have cost this country nearly 10 billion shilling (equivalent to USD $ 6 million) through cyberrelated fraud crimes, involving mostly card skimming and ATM thefts.
Records from the Ministry of Home Affairs shows that there are more than 300 cyber crime cases being investigated, some of which are about to be benched in courts of law.
Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Pereira Silima sees cyber criminals as technology-savvy individuals who are always miles ahead in digital competency compared to the people who try to track or pursue them.
"In most cases they can transcend territorial borders, hacking computers and stealing data thousands of miles away while remaining anonymous,"he explained saying that the government also tries to be miles ahead in technological advancement to fight against cyber crime, theft and online piracy.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology Prof Patrick Makungu says the government is ready to face challenges brought by cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy.
He gave the remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the Fourth Internet Security Workshop conducted recently at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) in Dar es Salaam.
Prof Makungu declares that the government has developed various measures to face those challenges, one of them being development of cyber law (Electronic and Postal Communications Act (EPOCA), No. 3 2010).
The permanent Secretary says the Cyber Crime Unit in the Police Force is one of the Government strategies to combat the crime, theft and online piracy.
"There is also establishment of computer emergency response team (CERT) which comprises a wide range of experts from government ministries, departments, and agencies; academia, banks, telecom service providers, police, military, and media," Prof Makungu said.
He called on local ICT experts to make sure they also learn different Internet security programmes to curb online piracy. Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Director General Dr Hassan Mshinda, says cyber crime, theft and online piracy poses a great challenge to the country and urges ICT experts to spend their time exploring about this problem.
"Cyber crime, theft and online Piracy are a big problem in Tanzania now days. I believe We can reduce these problems through science, technology and innovation as they are best solutions to those challenges," he notes adding that his commission (COSTECH) is a stakeholder in addressing technological problems.
Meanwhile, President of the Inter Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) Dr Junaid Zaidi advises local ICT experts to secure the data and applications on networks to the optimum level in order to counter the everchanging and technically advancing sophistications of cyber attacks.
Dr Aicha Bammoun from ISESCO states that Internet Security training is very important in any country as it enhances sensitisation on the problems of cyber crime and cyber security.
"Training in Internet Security can encourage the preparation and adoption of a harmonised framework of cyber security and legal and regulatory environment so as to reduce threats in cyber security in Tanzania," she noted.
It is reported that implementing cyber security measures requires skilled manpower. Tanzania still faces a shortage of skilled people to counter such cyber attacks. An effective cyber attack does not require an army; it takes just one individual. It is therefore advised to train more people to face cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy challenge.
The 4th COMSATSISESCO- INIT Workshop on "Internet Security:Enhancing Information Exchange Safeguards" was conducted at headquarters of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Kijitonyama Dar es Salaam from October 19-23, 2014.
It brought together 60 participants from Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Jordan, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to add knowledge on internet security.
The five-day Workshop was organised jointly by COSTECH in collaboration with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO); the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS); the Inter Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) and the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).
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