The long answer is...
Well, I think I can safely surmise that by and large Africa will be
spared--for its lack of global connectivity.
The very same reason of lack of global integration the continent was
spared from the current global economic crisis, according to the IMF.
On July 9, thousands of computers worldwide, which didn't heed calls
made by the FBI (as well as by Google and others) to clean up a
malicious malware called "DNS Changer" (now also dubbed "July 9
Virus") from their hard drives will be permanently denied internet
access.
For a description of the threat represented by DNS Changer, read for
instance this piece by Kim Zetter on wired.com:
(http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/07/dns-changer-going-dark/)
DNS Changer malware was used by an Estonian front company called Rove
Digital that set up thousands of computers in botenets in a carjacking
scheme that netted the cybercriminals millions of dollars.
Those criminals were nabbed last November by the FBI. But the Bureau
couldn't just yank those fake DNS without causing major disruptions to
individuals, companies, and organizations.
A private company was then hired to set up ghost servers that
continued to handle internet traffic of infected computers.
The contract with that company, which has cost the US government more
than $80,000 sor far, had to end in March, but was extended by a
federal judge to July 9.
The good news for Africa is that on June 13, the DNS Changer Working
Group (DCWG) that "was created to help remediate Rove Digital's
malicious DNS servers," compiled the list of the 26 "Top DNS Changer
Infections by Country" and none of them is African.
(Page Address: http://www.dcwg.org/top-dns-changer-infections-by-country/)
The most infected countries are the US, Italy, India, Great Britain,
and Germany.
My fear was that South Africa could serve as the "Trojan horse" (no
pun intended) for the rest of the continent.
On July 2nd, for instance, the South African media group News24
reported that according to Kaspersky Lab, "Hackers have targeted South
Africans with around three million attacks in the first three months
of 2012."
The report adds that "the threat represents awareness among hackers
that SA and other developing markets could become a lucrative target
as more internet users come online."
And fortunately for South African internet users, most of those
attacks are still of the type of "social engineering tricks"--the kind
in which an email purporting to come from your bank asks for you to
fill a form giving your personal info.
The removal of the DNS Changer malware seems to be a tough thing for
people with no computer training or experience though, who then have
to pay more than $100 to clean their computers. For some lay people,
the solution would be a costly one: the purchase of a new computer
altogether.
In Africa, this kind of attacks could be devastating to individuals
and private companies who can't afford the costs of protecting
themselves with the best anti-virus softwares on the market.
A dream then: Why couldn't African regional entities set up and
finance cybersecurity groups in much-touted public-private sectors
partnerships that would produce cheap anti-virus softwares and
protection for African internet users, including governments?
African internet users would certainly be willing to pay a tax or a
user's fee for that kind of care-free internet access.
But with some African countries like Ethiopia moving instead towards
internet restrictions for their citizens, I doubt this dream will ever
materialize.
And, by the way, in case you missed this one: Ethiopia has now
criminalized Skype use! (Where are Anonymous?)
***
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS: www.techno-lovers.com
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