The National Cybersecurity Center has given us guidelines on how to stay cyber-safe for Ghana’s general election.
Ghana’s General Election will be held on December 7, 2020. During the elections held in other countries, there have been reports of increased malicious cyber activities. This could happen in Ghana, too. These activities may be directed at the information and communications technology (ICT) systems of political parties and the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Work-From-Home arrangements have increased the opportunities and attack surfaces for cyber threat actors. Political parties will rely more heavily on online platforms such as social media, messaging apps, and websites to reach out to voters.
Cyber threat actors may use Election-themed phishing baits to lure voters into downloading malicious software on their devices or divert them to spoofed websites. Such baits could take the form of:
- Invites to engage in web conferencing with political parties, or to participate in pre- or post-rally polls, or surveys
- Applications (apps) that may require voters to follow through with instructions to download malicious software, such as plugins, to complete the installation
- Spoofed emails or messages that may look similar to those sent by the government or the political parties, and which may purport to provide information such as the latest news on political parties or updates on polling results
Cyber threat actors could also continue to leverage on COVID-themed lures or adapt quickly to create fresh baits based on the latest news and events of interest during this period. As a precautionary measure, members of the public and enterprises should be on heightened vigilance during this period.
CYBER HYGIENE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
- Only use official sources; beware of websites masquerading as official websites
- Only Download Apps from the Official Play Store (Android) and App Store (iOS)
- Be Vigilant about emails or texts asking for sensitive information or request financial payments
- Use Anti-Virus, and Update your Software, Applications, and Browsers Promptly
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ENHANCED CYBERSECURITY POSTURE FOR ENTERPRISES
- Heighten Vigilance by monitoring their ICT systems and networks for any unauthorized connections or unusual activities
- Use Anti-Virus; Update your Systems, Software, and Applications Promptly
- Encrypt all Data, and Keep an Offline Backup Control privileged access to authorized personnel
Please stay safe during these times and ensure you report immediately all suspicious activities you might encounter to the Cybersecurity center for further investigations.
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