- as telecom giant begins cyber-security awareness campaign
MTN Ghana has joined the global community to create awareness on cyber-security with a focus on Senior High Schools across the country.
The campaign officially began at the Labone Senior High School, and is expected to be replicated nation-wide.
Addressing students at the training dubbed: ‘Stay Safe Online’, Senior Manager for Enterprise Information Security and Governance – MTN, Jacqueline Hanson Kotei, said the training aimed at ensuring issues of cyber-security are brought to the fore, and also help the students appreciate the need to think and pause before clicking anything on the Internet
“Most of our lives are lived on the Internet, and it’s important to create awareness on cyber-security issues to make sure that those of us living our lives online are doing so in a very safe manner,” she stated.
She added: “We want to educate the general public so, this is not just only about the students. We are doing this internally with our staff as well, customers to help educate users of the Internet the need to protect themselves and organisation from cyber criminals”.
Bernice Badu-Marfoh, Analyst, Enterprise Information Security Operations – MTN, who made a presentation on being safe online, cautioned the students against clicking on links in unsolicited emails, warning that majority of phishing links are sent via email and designed to lure the recipient into downloading a virus.
“You must also choose strong characters as your password. And, also take advantage of the two-factor authentication to protect yourself from attackers trying to gain unauthorised access to your accounts,” she urged.
On her part, Abigail Kakai, the Assistant Manager of Child Online at Cybersecurity Authority (CSA), also urged the students to be cautious about who they socialise with on the Internet to avoid falling prey to cyber criminals.
She urged the students and Internet users to report cyber-security issues to the toll-free number 292.
Welcoming the MTN delegation to the school, Madam Adelaide Boye, the Assistant Head Teacher of Labone Senior High School, thanked the telecom giant for choosing her institution as the starting point of the awareness campaign.
“You could have chosen any other school, instead, you chose to start at Labone Senior High School, something we are very grateful about, and we believe this will go a long way to helping our students and Internet users to be able to stay safe on the Internet,” she said.
She called on the students to be cautious, noting that: “The spaces in which cyber attackers operate have been heightened, which is why this education is a step in the right direction.”
Activities lined up for the MTN’s Cyber-security Awareness Month celebration include customer-based sensitisation messages via social media and SMS focused on sub-themes including ‘Phight the Phish’, Cyber-security Common Sense, etc.
A public forum will also be organised virtually with a seasoned IT expert in the cyber space to discuss the theme for the month. MTN will also collaborate and participate in programmes organised by the Cybersecurity Authority and the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications to further the course.
