The state of cybersecurity culture in Africa

Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist of KnowBe4 Africa

Hosted by cybersecurity awareness training organisation KnowBe4 Africa, in collaboration with Cyber Security Africa, the half-day online event will feature speakers, leaders, analysts and decision makers sharing vital skills and knowledge around security, culture and the future.

The inaugural event, hosted in June 2020, saw more than 1,300 people from all over the world, register to attend. They engaged with industry experts from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Norway, the USA and South Africa, and the event paid attention to key trends and topics relevant to cybersecurity on the African continent.

The November conference is set to take the insights, engagement and expertise to the next level.

The speaker line-up for the conference includes sterling talent and industry expertise. Attendees can expect to hear from: Jenny Radcliffe, founder and director of Human Factor Security; Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola (AhA), chair of African Union’s Cyber Security Expert Group; Yolanda Cornelius, security governance officer at Discovery Limited; Christine Bennett, manager: Cyber Security Awareness, CISO Office, Nedbank Ltd; Olasunkanmi James, head of IT Security, Airtel Nigeria; Javvad Malik, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4; and Sanjana Rathi, Lead: Stakeholder Engagement and Technology Policy at Technology Against Crime Africa.

The conference is focused on helping organisations embed security into their cultures, helping them to thrive in increasingly complex and uncertain times. This is a necessity highlighted by the 2020 Global Security Culture Report by KnowBe4 and CTLRe that emphasised the importance of compliance and security behaviour in ensuring that organisations remain vigilant and secure.

“The question that the report raises is simple – how can the organisation embed secure employee behaviour to minimise the risk and maximise protection?” asks Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist of KnowBe4 Africa. “The answer is that security has to be management’s responsibility and needs to remain an ongoing priority. A few emails and posters about password hygiene aren’t going to cut it when a phishing email or ransomware breaks loose. And this can happen with just one accidental click of a mouse.”

What to expect

The virtual Africa Cyber Security Culture Conference will tackle these issues and other highly relevant topics over the course of a morning. Speakers will cover social engineering, mobile security, security culture programmes, and incentivised behavioural changes, among others. Attendees are invited to discuss key trends, to explore the development of a robust African security posture, and to walk away with practical tips and advice that can be implemented in their own organisations.

The event includes presentations across the following topics:

• Security Culture Programmes - What has Worked and What Hasn't?
  
• Overcoming mobile security challenges in Africa
  
• Carrot or the Stick? Driving Behaviour Change Through Incentives
  
• Aligning Cybersecurity to your Organisation's Greater Culture/Wellness Programme
  
• Gender, Culture and ICT Use for Rural Development
  
• Managing Security Cultures After Covid-19. How Do We Adapt? A panel discussion.

For more, go to www.AfricaCyberSecCon.com