Kenya-US Cybersecurity Collaboration, Papua New Guinea Data Security, Child hospital Ransomware
Cybersecurity is gradually becoming a matter of global concern. Nations, big or small, are grappling with cybercrime issues. Recently, the United States of America and Kenya decided to come together and amp up the level of digital security in Africa. On the other hand, Papua New Guinea, the island nation, has heightened its cybersecurity strategy. On the other hand, a Chicago-based children’s hospital has been badly affected by a ransomware attack.
Here’s your weekly dose of cyber news. Keep reading to stay abreast of the latest cyber news!
Kenya and the US have come together to offer digital security to Africa!
William S Ruto, the president of Kenya, recently visited the United States. Biden and Ruto have agreed to join hands to amp up the technological progress in Africa. The focus will be on cybersecurity trainings and development of improved defense systems against cyberattacks.
The meeting resulted in Ruto’s commitment to the Framework For Responsible State Behavior In Cyberspace. Biden and Ruto have also agreed to share major and minor threat insights among their partners in the East Africa region.
Also, an e-government pilot project, a private industry collaboration, and a prestigious collaboration between Google and the Kenyan government are on the cards. Apart from Google, the two technology giants, Cisco and Microsoft, are also getting into partnerships with Kenya. While Microsoft aims at offering free certifications in cybersecurity, Cisco just inaugurated a brand new cybersecurity training and research center at the University of Nairobi. Microsoft is also planning to invest a significant amount in Kenya towards building modern setup around cloud services and Artificial Intelligence.
The two global leaders strongly believe that a fail-proof cybersecurity setup is crucial to developing a robust digital ecosystem.
Of late Kenya has been witnessing a sharp spike in the instances of cyberattacks.
Papua New Guinea stands ahead with its state-of-the-art data security setup
While other countries are struggling with severe cyberattacks, Papua New Guinea has set an example with its trailblazing cybersecurity system. The island country has made all the heads turn because of its futuristic cybersecurity strategy.
Papua New Guinea has come up with the National Data Protection and Governance Policy 2024, which aims at safeguarding the digital landscape in this island nation with their coming of age policies and frameworks.
The major element in Papua New Guinea’s cybersecurity strategy is to spread awareness around vigilant and responsible data sharing among government stakeholders, agencies, and businesses. The end goal is to create a platform that facilitates the seamless creation of an enhanced digital ecosystem and fosters improved connections among multiple sectors—both private and government.
PNG has actually recognized data as the new currency metaphorically and is working relentlessly towards building a cybersecurity system that is progressive and visionary.
Papua New Guinea is also aiming to draft a Memorandum of Understanding With Japan in order to enhance ICT cooperation. The idea is to safeguard their security system with shared innovation and expertise.
Papua New Guinea, with its persistent digital efforts, is striving to become one of the most secure and well-prepared nations against cybercrimes. Its policies and frameworks are designed to encourage technological collaboration and safe data flow across borders.
The island nation is continuously working towards improving cybersecurity, thereby proving that the size of a nation has nothing to do with the level of digital preparedness. It is all about setting the right priorities and building the apt strategies to enhance security setups. Implementing strong email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC significantly mitigates phishing risks.
Papua New Guinea, with its visionary cybersecurity policies, is definitely setting the bar high for other countries.
A ransomware attack compromised sensitive medical data in children’s hospital
A whopping 791,000 patients in the Lurie Children’s Hospital had their private data compromised because of a ransomware attack on January 26th and 31st, 2024. The threat actors managed to gain control over the patient portal, medical records, and communication systems.
The Chicago-based hospital has informed that a thorough investigation is going on, and the system has been shifted to offline for the time being. Sensitive details like name, date of birth, email address, driver’s license number, health plan, medical condition, health claim details, prescription information, telephone number, and social security numbers have been compromised.
The Rhysida ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the threat actors, 600 GB of data has already been sold.
The children’s hospital admitted that it had not paid the threat actors any ransom. It claimed that it made this decision after consulting cybersecurity experts and professionals. It believes that paying the ransom does not guarantee the retrieval of the stolen data.