The digital economy is playing an increasingly big role in Kenya today, raising the need for companies operating in that space to invest in sufficient firewalls that will protect critical data from marauding digital vagabonds.

The merchants of all manner of malware have turned online business into a minefield, exposing important customer data to breaches and putting them at risk of losing their money or identities.

However, the train for digital business left the station many years ago and there can be no turning back now. This then means that businesses have no choice but to strengthen their cyber-security systems to ensure data in their custody is safeguarded by malware.

In the same vein, the government must put in place deterrent measures to punish owners of IP addresses from which such attacks originate. Although many of these attackers are faceless and difficult to trace, with technology and surveillance, it is possible to detect their source. And by working with international investigative agencies, governments can crack down on cyber-criminals with a view to making that space safe for all, not just for businesses like Naivas, which was last week the subject of such an attack. Naivas must be commended for acknowledging it as this raises public awareness on the need for vigilance whenever people are transacting digitally.

Institutions that handle large volumes of personal data cannot run away from the reality that data breaches and cyber attacks have been on the increase. Indeed, as the Communication Authority worryingly noted, cyber threats increased by a staggering 2,000 per cent between July and September last year. It is even more worrying that this was a critical point in Kenya’s electoral cycle, which means the threat go beyond business and individuals to public systems and platforms.

It is critical to bear this in mind, given that the current administration has pledged to make over 5,000 Government services available digitally, meaning that the number of digital transactions will be going up significantly once this happens.

What this trend tells IT experts is that all sectors of the economy ought to learn from banks, which have been outliers in strengthening their firewalls. Although they, too, like all other institutions, have been the target of attacks, they have proved to be most resilient and adaptive.