Cyber Crime Africa Summit
Date: July 31, 2008Source: Ibls.com/
Cyber Crime Africa Summit
10-13 November
Successful strategies to combat, prevent and Investigate Cyber crime in Africa
Call for Papers
Background
Africa is seeing explosive growth in information and communication technologies (ICT). Due to this growth, cybercrime has become a reality in this part of the world. African countries, mostly because of inadequate action and controls to protect computers and networks, are targets of attack. A great deal of criminal activity is also being perpetrated from this part of the world.
Many people have heard about the so-called Nigerian 419 or advanced fee scams, or the story of the young Zambian who hacked into a government web site and replaced the picture of then-president Frederick Chiluba with a cartoon. Recently, a good number of South African banks were victims of phishing attacks. Credit card fraud is on the rise in the continent, especially in Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, with losses estimated in the Billions of US dollars. E-mail scams seem to be an African specialty, with West African countries among the major perpetrators
During 2008, incidents of cybercrime can be expected to climb, as criminals around the world capitalise on the opportunities the Internet provides for them to reap substantial financial rewards with a relatively low risk of getting caught and punished.
The business of cybercrime is worth tens of billions of dollars a year and is now, by some estimates, larger than the drug trafficking trade. Criminals have flocked online because the Internet offers them much the same benefits as it does legitimate businesses: a global reach, the ability to automate transactions, and easy access to a market comprising potentially billions of victims.
Criminals also like the fact that the Internet offers them an anonymous platform for their business. They don''t need to be in physical contact with their targets to get hold of their passwords, identities or money. Indeed, they can be another country, which means reduces the risk that they"ll be captured and successfully prosecuted.
"It is one of the fastest growing forms of crime worldwide,
In her 2008 budget vote speech, Dr. Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said that the issue of cyber security is high on our national agenda. At international level, there are initiatives such as The International Telecommunication Union (ITU''s) High Level Expert Group (HLEG) that aims to develop strategies and guidance to countries in dealing with cyber crime. This conference will aim to address major issues, trends and case studies in Cybercrime in Africa
Speakers
Prospective speakers are hereby requested to forward (by e-mail or fax) to the Conference Chair, Sizwe Snail an Abstract and / or a draft paper for consideration by mid August 2008 at the details below.
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +27 (086) 617-5721
By Sizwe Lindelo Snail - LLB (Pret), Couzyn Hertzog &Horak.
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