First off, let me apologize if you have already read an article about Botnets in Kenya, and their potential growth do to the new fibre optic data cables that are landing and coming live (however so slowly).  I want to put a spin on it, though not a large one.  As this website's mission is to empower the people of Kenya, and Africa, to be heard on the internet, a direct result of this is teaching people basic internet skills.  Teaching internet skills means empowering people with internet connections, which are set to become inexpensive and abundant in Kenya if all of the political and corporate wrangling over the data cables eventually dies down.

As we all know, empowering people through the internet is not only an avenue to be heard, but also to be spoken to, and dropping the metaphor, consume data as well as produce.  It is this data consumption that I am very concerned about in a Kenya more innudated by internet than for which we may be ready.  A recent announcement by Microsoft to not allow their Security Essentials software to be installed on pirated copies of Windows has prompted this blog post.  How does this all lead to Kenya being a haven for botnets and why do we even need to care?

Most all computers in Kenya are running pirated copies of Windows.  Do I have the statistics to prove that? No.  Will I find them for you? No.  If you want to argue about it, I will gladly direct you to the nearest wall to which you can talk, for it will be a far more patient listener than I.  This means that many computers in Kenya will not be able to receive the Security Essentials Software when it goes online.  Why do I care?  Because I was hoping this would be at least a step forward in solving the Kenyan computer malware (viruses, spyware, adware) epidemic.  It would integrate much nicer into pre-existing Windows installations than other programs such as AVG, and would combine many more protections into one product than the hodge-podge soup solution of Ad-Aware, Spybot and [Insert favorite free Anti-Virus]. ArsTechnica (a tech news site I hold in high regard) has even given Security Essentials a thumbs up approval.  As an instructor, I can barely stress to people the importance of protecting their computers short of making analogies to sexually transmitted diseases and protection against them, which if you ask some of my colleagues, is also not an easy argument to make here!

Where does that leave Kenya on the brink of this supposed Internet Renaissance? In trouble!  At first, viruses in Kenya were simply nuisance USB Flash Disk viruses which would only potentially do something other than replicate.  The introduction of new viruses into the computer bloodstream was limited to single vectors of attack: cybers, and even then, most cybers would result simply in quarantine, as many people did not have means of transporting information out of them.  Of course, USB Flash Disks introduced the exit vector from quarantine, but for reasons I have not speculated upon, infection from serious viruses remained minimal beyond annoyance level.

Soon it will not just be cybers acting as virus incubators however.  More and more individuals will be purchasing computers as low-cost solutions proliferate the market (netbooks, good-quality used machines, etc.).  When low cost hardware, unprotected software, lack of education and cheap internet align, the result is botnets.  It will be Europe and America all over again.  We have seen the problem: blackmarket organized crime able to purchase privately owned but unprotected zombie computers in the thousands and use them as a platform to launch attacks.  They have been used to take down high profile sites such as Twitter, Facebook and even some portions of Google, that supposedly impenetrable fortress.  In this situation most of all, we need to stop emulating the West and be better than the West!  We can see the problem.  We have the educated security professionals who should be warning proper institutions of this threat.  We can protect Kenya.

What is to stop Kenya from becoming a breeding ground not only of zombie computer hardware, but also a for black-hat, malacious, computer programmers hoping to make a quick buck?  We all know the phrase "homefield [or turf] advantage".  Who would know the layout of ICT infrastructure in Kenya better than Kenyans? We have the best infrastructure of any East African Nation, we have the most capital of any East African Nation, and as a result, we have the most to lose.  I do not want to see Kenya become the next Botnet Marketplace.  I do not want to see Kenyan IP addresses as the originating source of the next major web attack. I want to empower Kenyans to use the Internet to speak their minds, and tell their stories, and I know that the story of Kenya is not that of vicious programmers and malcontents happy to do damage using their newfound power, but we cannot let the rest of the world think that.  It would go against the best interests and international image of Kenya to be perceived as the new source of internet woes.

Practice protection when using the internet.  Solutions include learning (and subsequently teaching), how to use a mix of free anti-malware solutions to protect a computer.  This is not easy, and most users will just shrug and ignore you.  Many of these solutions are not as user-friendly as they should be, considering the gravity of the situation.  Possibly stress moving off of the Windows platform completely.  This removes the barrier to maintaining the most up to date software and thus the most protected software.  Think open source solutions, such as a GNU/Linux based solution. Take a class in proper internet safety.  When browsing the web, at least make sure your Web Browser is the most recent version.  I won't even tell you which one to use (though I prefer Mozilla Firefox), because in this day and age, all major browser vendors acknowledge the need for the browser to be the first level of security and have thus taken steps to make protecting yourself easy (if not mindless).

The internet is not a safe place for those caught unaware, so always be prepared, be vigilant.  If we all work our hardest to stay informed of the latest threats and use proper security techniques, we can protect the image of Kenya as it emerges into the globally connected world. Empower people to use their voices, but also teach them how to be a good internet citizen.  These two tasks must go hand in hand if we are to walk safely and peacefully into the future together.