4. Main takeaways

Congratulations, you have reached the end of the module. In the concluding part, we will reflect on the key takeaways from this module, leaving some additional space for you to write down the points that seem important to you and are not included above. 

• There is a lot of terminological confusion in trying to define the concept of cybersecurity, ranging from rather benign differences, such as the interchangeable use of prefixes (cyber/e/digital/net/virtual) to core differences, where the use of different terms reflects different policy approaches.

• Cyber risks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the groups interested in exploiting the vulnerabilities of cyberspace have extended from underground communities of ‘black hat’ hackers to global and well-organised criminal groups, government security services, and national defence forces. The most common attack tools are the use of malware, as well as spam, e-scams, and phishing techniques.

• Some of the key cyber risks pertaining to the African continent include online scams, espionage, digital extortions, business email compromise, ransomware, and botnets.

• Cybersecurity cannot be discussed without looking at a broader context and its links to other related internet governance issues such as the digital economy and human rights online.

• Cybercrime has profound effects on digital commerce. In addition to financial losses suffered as a result of cybercrime, there are other negative effects for the economy such as diminished consumer trust, loss of trade secrets, and refusal of access to certain markets where cases of fraudulent activities are frequent.

• In the context of national or international systems, discussion on human rights and security often takes a binary logic – we can have either human rights OR security.  It may appear that we must weigh these rights against security measures such as surveillance or control of encryption; yet, there are some measures such as advancing digital literacy, smart use of ICTs, nurturing values and understanding of digital technologies and their impact on society, that can enhance both security and rights.