BARUA YA BARAZA: Don’t Click That Link
From the Curator’s Desk
Greetings, friends:
This week’s newsletter is continuing the tradition of inviting members of our community to write From The Curator’s Desk, and for this edition, I’m happy to hand it over to my colleague Benter Dongo, who’s Executive Assistant & HR at Baraza Media Lab.
Please send your guest writing pitches for this section to chris@barazalab.com if you’re interested in being our guest curator on the newsletter, and you have something of interest to share to our community — a trend you’ve noticed or something you’d like us to think about.
~ Christine
A few weeks ago, the big news of the day in Kenya was the data breach/ hack on Naivas supermarket, which, to its credit, the retailer’s management acknowledged with utmost humility and honour, in my honest opinion. But security breaches, hacks and scams have become the order of the day in the digital space and according to some smart people, we are in for a rough ride as technology evolves. Better buckle up folks!
It’s a fact that the digital space has paved the way for both constructive and destructive innovations alike. Today, cybercrime has gotten so sophisticated and stealthy to the point of being impressive, you might say. The truth is that most of us are gullible targets because we can easily be caught unawares. Some modes of attack have actually weaved themselves into our everyday lives, unnoticed.
I’ve been learning more about cyber security recently, and I’ve been blown away by the mind-boggling facts I’ve come across. Threat actors (people with a malicious intent to cause harm digitally) work in highly coordinated and sophisticated crime groups that mostly operate on the deep and dark web. Picture this, we only use 4% of the internet legitimately, known as the surface web. The other stark percentage belongs to mostly the bad guys. I will not go into the horrific stories painting that landscape. As Kenyans, we could use a breather from such.
Most cyber breaches occur due to human error ,and remote working has made us more vulnerable to these breaches simply because our home networks usually aren’t as secure as institutional ones. A simple click on a link with well-curated and personalised content can jeopardise an entire organisation. Think about this: on a very busy work day, how many tabs do you have opened on your computer, and by extension, in your mind? Most of us would easily fall for a phishing email purportedly coming from our boss if we aren’t wired or trained to detect the nuances. And even with training, human bodies and minds simply get tired, stressed or sleepy at some point.
The data is telling: Africa loses nearly $4 billion annually to cybercrime and our copy-paste solutions from the west are not curbing the issue. It also doesn’t help that cyber security is severely understaffed globally; in Africa, 1 cyber security expert currently serves 177,000 people. All these statistics combined render this quote by Robert Mueller almost true: ‘There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those that will be.’ If NATO added cyber to its military arms of air, navy, and land back in 2016, what are we actively doing to mitigate the ever-growing cyber threats?
From iLab’s short cyber security program I’ve been fortunate to take, I’ve learnt that cyber hygiene simply begins with you and I, friend. Maybe start by not clicking every link that comes your way.
***
In the meantime, here’s:
- What We’re Reading: We need to examine the beliefs of today’s tech luminaries, by Anjana Ahuja (FT). The opening sentence: “People who are very rich or very clever, or both, sometimes believe weird things.” (!!!)
- What We’re Watching: I was completely mentally exhausted at some point this week and all I wanted was to watch a really entertaining, absorbing piece of television. My goodness, didn’t I get all that and more, in the incredible 11-episode masterpiece that is The Glory on Netflix. Korean shows don’t come to play.
- What We’re Listening To: A lonely struggle, an immersive, emotional and ultimately heart wrenching interactive story published by CNN As Equals (best experienced with sound on) featuring nine mothers worldwide as they bravely share the mental health struggles they faced during ‘the happiest time of their lives’.
As always,
Christine Mungai
Curator | Baraza Media Lab
Story Sosa | A One-of-a-Kind Experiment in Live Storytelling
Baraza Media Lab is thrilled to unveil our latest ambitious venture: Story Sosa. This collaborative and cross-disciplinary creative project aims to push the boundary (and have some fun!) in the way stories are shared and experienced. While we will reveal more details in the coming weeks, we wanted to give our valued newsletter subscribers an exclusive sneak peek into this groundbreaking format.
Get ready to embark on a journey where imagination meets reality and traditional boundaries are shattered. Keep an eye out for ticketing details on our socials and the next edition of Barua ya Baraza. The future of storytelling awaits, and we can’t wait to share it with you!
Safia Abji | Life School Lessons
Welcome to Life School, where we learn by living out loud. In partnership with Baraza Media Lab, Safia Abji will be facilitating live growth dialogues to help us learn, connect, and transform. This Self-Help Series will take place in three intentional chapters, over the next three months:
- Chapter One: Self-Sabotage Stories (May 16th, 2023)
- Chapter Two: Self-Love Stories
- Chapter Three: Self-Healing Stories
Our first chapter will feature Adelle Onyango, Founder of Legally Clueless Africa, who will share her journey with us, what she’s learned about herself and others along the way, how she handles moments of difficulty, and the impact of challenging our limiting beliefs and behaviour..
Join us for our first session from 5:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, May 16th, 2023 by registering using the link below.
Entry is free!
Date: 16th May, 2023
To register, click here.