Security News > 2010 > August > Kenyan firms pay heavy price for data safety lapses

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/-/539550/977138/-/simtwwz/-/ By Diana Ngaira Business Daily August 16 2010 Data has become an invaluable asset in every sector. Yet even as the world’s businesses become interconnected by the same business language, developing nations face an extra cost burden through their almost complete negligence of information security, according to a 2005 Information Economy Report from UNCTAD. In a clarion call, a full five years ago, to take the value of information more seriously, the report urged criminalising of cyber attacks and the introduction of risk-management policies, as well as constant monitoring of ICT security regulations and the training of skilled staff to run effective security programmes. The calls have had virtually no impact in Kenya, despite the country’s galloping growth in intellectual property and information held within businesses -- from client information, including card numbers and contacts, to sensitive company information such as log in details, mailing lists and security codes. Not one company or public sector organisation in the country has yet implemented the globe’s international standards -- ISO/IEC 17799:2005 and ISO/IEC 27001 -- dealing specifically with information security. [...]

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