Cybersecurity: IT expert calls for investment in creative awareness

An Information Technology expert, Mr Jide Awe, has called on stakeholders to invest in creative public awareness strategies in efforts to promote cybersecurity in the country.

He made the call in an interview with our reporter in Lagos on Tuesday.

Awe said that cybersecurity was technical in nature, adding, however, that one of the major challenges facing efforts to boost cybersecurity in the country was the lack of public awareness on the issue.

He stressed that the public awareness strategies should not only involve discussions but it should also be creative in nature so as to make a lasting impact on the target audience.

“When you invest a lot in cybersecurity tools and personnel, you would find out that within that organisation, someone who is careless with the tools could expose the whole network, and all the investment consequently becomes a waste.

“As one is investing in all these sophisticated tools, there is need to invest in creating awareness — a creative one that will arouse public interest.

“For instance, banks often pass information through text messages that PIN numbers should not be given over the phone but the main questions are: How many people read such messages? How many people are even aware of such information?

“It is not just about sending messages to someone that does not understand English but pragmatic efforts should be made to capture the person’s attention.

“Awareness should be creative in nature, it could be in form of games; it should be able to stimulate the people’s interest and make them change their behaviour towards certain things.

“If the person getting the message has not changed his behaviour, then, the message passed has yet to achieve the goal of the communication and awareness has not been created,’’ he said.

Awe underscored the need for sustained implementation of existing policies and additional investments, saying that the achievement of the objectives of the Cyberscurity Act depended on the creation of more creative public awareness strategies.

He urged the Cybersecurity Advisory Council, which was set up to ensure that organisations which invested in information technology were well-protected, to create the needed public awareness to safeguard the investments.

“The creation of creative public awareness is a problem, not just in Nigeria, but it is also global challenge. This is why the main focus is on it and not on the technical aspects of cybersecurity,’’ he said.