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Invest in digital training

Computer servers can store thousands of gigabytes of data essential to an organization. (Photo provided by Deon Nas )
By Jamar Knight on Thursday, 17 March, 2022 at 04:36 PM

Government should invest more in training workers to navigate the digital spectrum.

The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology was forced to take its overall Internet service offline last week after ransomware had invaded its server system.

Ransomware is a type of malware that infects a person’s or company’s devices until they pay a ransom to gain access to it. Upon infection, ransomware can encrypt various types of data, from documents to pictures to videos. To regain access to the data, a payment in Bitcoin is usually requested as it is harder to trace.

Information Technology (IT) security professional Ricardo Martinez, Chief Revenue Officer with security consulting and solutions firm DigitalEra Group, recommended that Government and businesses be more vigilant in developing response plans to digital attacks. Martinez explained that it was critical for organizations to know who to call if a business or organization is affected or attacked to ensure damage is mitigated as quickly as possible.

Web Analyst and IT specialist for Gildan, Kemar Miller shared similar sentiments. He added that the most efficient way to hack a system and plant ransomware is through techniques called Social Hacking and Phishing and that workers should be trained to navigate digital threats as more of their operations go online.

“All government workers at all levels of the bureaucratic structure must be continuously trained, year after year on the best practices of managing all types of digital or digitized highly sensitive information. Password management, two-factor authentication (2FA), and stricter guidelines on who has permissions and access to different types of information. Understanding this can help governmental organizations identify ransomware attack attempts before they become lethal to the country,” Miller explained.

He went on to clarify that all government workers must undergo training to ensure that they know what phishing is, how to spot suspicious emails and email links, how to prevent an attack, and report suspicious digital activity.

“All government agencies must become subject to a multitude of routine cyber security audits to ensure that all best practices including social behaviors regarding sensitive digital information are adhered to at all times,” Miller stated.

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