Securing National Cyberspace: ANTIC recounts landmark achievements including closure of over 3300 fake Facebook accounts

By Bakah Derick

The National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) has presented what can be considered landmark achievements in the institution's mission of securing the national cyberspace. While speaking at the opening of a three-day serminar on cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime for secondary school and university teachers in the North-West (NW) Region, Ngwang Yufenyuy Landry, ANTIC Regional Branch Manager for the NW presented several activities aimed at combating personal data and privacy related cybercrimes. 

Ngwang Yufenyuy Landry, North-West Regional Manager ANTIC 

According to the  Manager, "approximately 68 000 vulnerabilities inherent in the information systems of audited organisations have been identified and recommendations formulated to correct them before they get exploited by cybercriminals." 

With over 4200 fake Facebook accounts used to scam uninformed citizens identified since 2019, Ngwang Landry told the seminar participants that "3337 have been closed, thanks to the assistance of Facebook. 

ANTIC Cybercrime seminar in Bamenda 

The institution has also been involved in accounts verification with " 39 Facebook accounts/pages belonging to Ministries and Members of Government" verified "in a bid to enable citizens to distinguish between fake and authentic accounts." 

ANTIC is also credited for treating 'more than 2,050 complaints relating to scamming and phishing"  since 2019. 

"The dissemination of bimonthly security bulletins to focal points designated by public administrations, who are responsible for the implementation of the recommendations formulated therein and the securing of several critical applications of the state including the COLEPS application of the ministry of Public Contracts, which allows for the secure bidding of public contracts online." Ngwang concluded. 

The Regional ANTIC head has expressed optimism that the capacities of the over 50 teachers drawn from Secondary Schools and Universities around the NW will strengthened in the field of cyber security and the fight against cybercrime.