[kictanet] Security Boost from China - Is it a hit or a miss?

Mon May 15 14:01:14 EAT 2017

Good afternoon,

The alarmist posts on this forum on every engagement/activity by the
National Government is quite unsettling, bearing the notion that we are
'more' informed or have better access to information to make decisive
conclusions.

It is important to understand that Huawei is providing telecommunication
equipment in the form of new hardware and of course, in-built technology to
run it. In broader terms, an integrated CCTV surveillance system that
includes video cameras, digital radios connected to a central command
conferencing system to enhance security and improve the National Police
Service's operational capacity.

This essentially means that the equipment is for receiving and recording
criminal activity and not a data holding cell for public records. Access to
videos and images captured is real time at the command centers which are
now to be expanded to other major cities within the country.

There is no system that is being plugged into, this is not an upgrade of
existing infrastructure, the country is purely creating a new, state of the
art digital based surveillance system. Cases in court will no longer be
inadmissible based on 'witness account of events' and criminals will no
longer be confident hiding under such misgivings of the law.

Huawei has been sought as the equipment provider based on the quality and
latency of image/video that their hardware provides, which is also cost
effective. Cyber crime remains a potential threat to everything connected
to a network. Specifically to CCTVs, DDoS attacks are the most prevalent
form of cyber crime and this could happen to any surveillance
infrastructure irrespective of where it is sourced from, should
configuration not be secure.

With regard to the US, issue is not only contested from the point of view
that the country manufactures its own surveillance equipment but it is a
foreign policy matter in itself owing to world power dynamics. As for
Kenya, the partnership with Huawei squarely lies on the interest of
securing Kenyans and their property in a more advanced environment.

Regards,
*Eshuchi Richard*

On 15 May 2017 at 08:33, BRIGHT GAMELI via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Allowing the Chinese to plug into our system is giving away the country.
>
> Nothing is free. Cyber Espionage is just about to start with such power
> being given to them.
> We will get crippled later.
>
> Even if we allow them to help, I will say about 4 different vetting should
> be done on the systems before go live.
>
> ~ze3D~
>
> On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 4:45 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Listers
>>
>> Huawei was the subject of a US Congress Intelligence Committee probe and
>> until today are restricted from doing business in the US due what the US
>> says 'They are susceptible to interference by a foreign state player.
>>
>> Huawei has tried and gone to great lengths to deny that the Chinese
>> Government either owns them or exerts undue influence on them. Read the FT
>> article below and be a judge for yourself.
>>
>> https://www.ft.com/content/469bde20-9eaf-11e3-8663-00144feab7de
>>
>> This reminds me of Star Times, the Chinese Broadcasting entity that now
>> has a presence in 30 odd countries in Africa and in Zambia even took over
>> the National Broadcaster.
>>
>> *He who pays the piper calls the tune.*
>>
>> *Ali Hussein*
>> *Principal*
>> *Hussein & Associates*
>> +254 0713 601113 <0713%20601113>
>>
>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>
>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>
>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>
>> "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a
>> habit."  ~ Aristotle
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On 14 May 2017, at 11:32 PM, Brian Nyali via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>> @Barrack,
>>
>> Assuming they deploy the infrastructure and are actively providing
>> support:
>> 1.I honestly doubt they would give complete access to their equipment.
>> 2.Will there be access to where the data is being stored temporarily/
>> permanently
>> 3.What happens in the event the agreement/contract is terminated what
>> happens to the data collected or stored?
>> 4.If we do not have complete control/ access can we be sure who does?
>> In my view it is a miss unless we have complete control of the
>> infrastructure deployed and the data collected, i could be wrong but there
>> are too many loopholes by being in the passenger's seat .
>>
>>
>>
>> Kind regards,
>> Brian M. Nyali.
>> brian at kenic.or.ke
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Barrack Otieno via kictanet" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> To: "Brian Nyali" <brian at kenic.or.ke>
>> Cc: "otieno barrack" <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Sunday, 14 May, 2017 21:24:36
>> Subject: [kictanet] Security Boost from China - Is it a hit or a miss?
>>
>> Listers,
>>
>> I have been pondering over this generous offer from the Chinese Tech
>> Group Huawei to enhance our Security  Infrastructure in Nakuru, Kisumu
>> and Eldoret, however with recent cases of Cyber Security how safe are
>> we as a country with such offers?.
>> I have heard of cases of car tracking devices being used to facilitate
>> car jackings against unsuspecting owners, aren't we giving away too
>> much data about ourselves assuming Huawei will be providing support
>> for this Infrastructure?, have we thought of possible backdoors that
>> could give away the tonnes of data collected from the Infrastructure?
>> Before we implement the new system , it would also be good to know
>> whether the one deployed in Nairobi worked as well.
>>
>> Best Regards
>>
>> --
>> Barrack O. Otieno
>> +254721325277 <0721%20325277>
>> +254733206359 <0733%20206359>
>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>
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>> 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.
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>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
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>
>
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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
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-- 
Regards,
*Eshuchi Richard*
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