[kictanet] NSA Tapping into Google & Yahoo Networks? How is Kenya protected?

Fri Nov 1 04:46:33 EAT 2013

Walu,

I would like emphasize the need for us to mix security and locally hosted
data, contrary to your assertions.  If your data is local and is snooped
on, you have a legal recourse with the local hosting provider. But if the
data is stored in the USA for example, any legal action against the
provider can prove to be a daunting task.

Whether government or private data, any snooping on the data would have
consequences as spelt out in the communication act. While we cannot rule
out hacking of even local content, or guarantee its safety 100 percent for
locally hosted data, at least there is a starting point and legal
framework for dealing with such acts. Next would be increasing our
competences in securing the data.

Regards
Sammy Buruchara

On 10/31/13 4:49 PM, "Walubengo J" <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:

>>>On Thu, 10/31/13, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com> wrote:
>We need to bring the latter back home simply because the US has proven it
>cannot be trustedŠ It¹s not that the galvanised internet is the best
>option, it¹s simply a compromise because some people have broken trustŠ
>
>>>
>I totally agree. I am for local content, local hosting, local, local this
>and the other.  What I find difficult to understand is the myth that once
>something is local, then it is safer.
>
>We need to be careful not to mix security with being local. Let us have
>two independent tracks on the issues.  Lets build local content to
>increase uptake, reduce latency, perhaps pricing, etc.  But I would hate
>to imagine our NSIS director briefing our President that we are very
>secure because we have made all our ICT infrastructure local.
>
>ICT Security is often discussed under CIA - Confidentiality, Integrity,
>and Availability (not central intelligence agency :-). I want to believe
>the geographic location of your data cannot save you, if your CIA
>procedures are poor. So if we want to be secure, lets put the emphasis
>where it should be.
>  
>walu.
>nb: Osama bin laden was as local and as manual as you can get. US folks
>still smoked him out.
>
>--------------------------------------------
>On Thu, 10/31/13, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] NSA Tapping into Google & Yahoo Networks? How is
>Kenya protected?
> To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Date: Thursday, October 31, 2013, 11:58 AM
> 
> Search engines will be
> largely unaffected btw. Search engines don¹t go through
> your mail etcŠ 
> The internet services that
> are centralised will remain centralised (basic web
> hosting/blogs etc). However, mail, internal applications etc
> still have to be securedŠ
> There¹s data that we
> don¹t mind being publicly accessible (e.g. The Nation
> Media Group website), and there¹s data that the NSA/Search
> engines etc should not have access to (e.g. My banking
> records, my health records etc).
> We need to bring the
> latter back home simply because the US has proven it cannot
> be trustedŠ It¹s not that the galvanised internet is the
> best option, it¹s simply a compromise because some people
> have broken trustŠ  --
> Phares Kariuki
>  From: Walubengo
> J Walubengo
> J
> Reply: Walubengo J jwalu at yahoo.com
> Date: October 31, 2013 at
> 11:10:34 AM
> To: Phares Kariuki pkariuki at gmail.com
> Subject:  Re: [kictanet] NSA
> Tapping into Google & Yahoo Networks? How is Kenya
> protected? 
>  @Phares,
> 
> 
> 
> this line of thinking was has been explored recently at the
> IGF and I had a different angle to it and I quote:
> 
> 
> 
> >>
> 
> Whereas having each economy build its own email, social
> media and other web-based systems may provide national pride
> and a debatable sense of national security, it unfortunately
> goes towards balkanising the Internet along existing
> national geographic boundaries.
> 
> 
> 
> The final effect will be a diminished value for online
> services. Search engines will end up with only a localised
> or national view of data, as opposed to the more
> international view currently enjoyed by keeping the Internet
> open and global.
> 
> >>>
> 
> 
> 
> more  
> 
> @
> 
>http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/Lessons-from-the-Global-Internet-G
>overnance-Forum/-/1959700/2051402/-/ouee6l/-/index.html
> 
> 
> 
> walu.
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------
> 
> On Thu, 10/31/13, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>  Subject: Re: [kictanet] NSA Tapping into Google & Yahoo
> Networks? How is Kenya protected?
> 
>  To: jwalu at yahoo.com
> 
>  Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> 
>  Date: Thursday, October 31, 2013, 10:09 AM
> 
>   
> 
>  I¹ll very selfishly
> 
>  advocate for an increased uptake of local cloud services,
> 
>  away from the NSA¹s prying eyes, with locally established
> 
>  standards of encryption etcŠ
> 
>  We¹ve got capable
> 
>  universities that can assist in coming up with new
> 
>  encryption etc standards for the military &
> 
>  government. 
> 
>  Interesting article by
> 
>  Charles
> 
>  ObboŠ. 
>http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Spy-more-on-your-friends-than-foes/-/
>440808/2053660/-/j8oy4g/-/index.html
> 
>   -- 
> 
>  Phares Kariuki
> 
>   From: Ngigi
> 
>  Waithaka Ngigi Waithaka
> 
>  Reply: Ngigi Waithaka
> 
>  ngigi at at.co.ke
> 
>  Date: October 31, 2013 at
> 
>  9:12:10 AM
> 
>  To: Phares Kariuki pkariuki at gmail.com
> 
>  Subject:  [kictanet] NSA
> 
>  Tapping into Google & Yahoo Networks? How is Kenya
> 
>  protected?  
> 
>    
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Listers,
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Just came across
> this 
>http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-link
>s-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/
>e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html?hpid=z1
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  It looks like Google might have been caught by the NSA
> 
>  with
> 
>  their pants down since hacking into their Data Transport
> 
>  layer
> 
>  simply gives up all the secrets that encryption is supposed
> 
>  to be
> 
>  protecting.
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Now, moving on swiftly to the local setup, I am also
> 
>  concerned
> 
>  that even as we look to start pushing for National
> Standards
> 
>  of
> 
>  Encryption through the PKI project, whether we as a country
> 
>  have
> 
>  come together to review and see how to protect our
> countries
> 
>  intelligence and data.
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  We also know for a fact that the US was busy tapping
> 
>  into
> 
>  World Leaders phones, and I can bet if there are a few
> 
>  presidents
> 
>  to be 'tapped' in Africa, ours should be way up on
> 
>  that
> 
>  ladder!
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  However, more worrying would be, how protected are our
> 
>  internal networks from such tapping, even from locals?
> Could
> 
>  there
> 
>  be a guy who has tapped into Safaricoms internal network
> and
> 
>  is
> 
>  busy reading every email, chat that is flying through and
> 
>  perhaps
> 
>  selling such information to our erstwhile enemies the
> 
>  Al-Shabbab?
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  I was once very surprised when a personal friend got a
> 
>  transcript of all his calls, and chat messages,
> 
>  word-for-word for
> 
>  the previous past 6 months, dug up from one of the local
> 
>  Telcos.
> 
>  The ease with which such information was availed appalled
> me
> 
>  as it
> 
>  clearly means that the Telcos clearly store all our chats,
> 
>  and such
> 
>  records in clear text months after we have used them and a
> 
>  guy with
> 
>  basic SQL knowledge just needs to hack into the network
> 
>  (easy) and
> 
>  call them up.
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  So, as we continue with the PKI project, there are
> 
>  really very
> 
>  basic things on security of data that we as a nation
> 
>  haven't even
> 
>  dealt with.
> 
>  --
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Regards,
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Waithaka
> 
>  Ngigi
> 
>   
> 
>   
> 
>  Chief Executive Officer
> 
>  | Alliance
> 
>  Technologies | MCK Nairobi
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
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>   
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>   
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>   
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>  interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The
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>The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
>development.
>
>KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and
>bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect
>privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.