[kictanet] NSA Tapping into Google & Yahoo Networks? How is Kenya protected?
Walubengo J
jwalu at yahoo.com
Mon Nov 4 09:07:40 EAT 2013
I see the point and concede that local hosting affords the national goverments some leverage with regards to holding organisations liable in the event of a security breach.
However, for this to happen, we need to enact the Data Protection Act - otherwise I still feel local hosting on its own, will not necessary increase information security.
walu.
--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 11/1/13, Sammy Buruchara <buruchara at me.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: Friday, November 1, 2013, 4:46 AM
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
>
> Synod
>
> Building
>
>
>
>
>
> T +
>
> 254 (0)
>
> 20 2333 471 |Office
>
> Mobile: +254 786 28 28 28 | M +
>
> 254 737 811 000
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> www.at.co.ke
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> kictanet mailing list
>
>
>
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>
>
>
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>
>
>https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pkariuki%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> kictanet mailing list
>
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
>
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com
>
>
>
> 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.
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>kictanet mailing list
>kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
>Unsubscribe or change your options at
>https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/buruchara%40mac.com
>
>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.
More information about the KICTANet
mailing list