Bug off – talking digital hygiene with Mamothokoane Tlali
Mamothokoane Tlali advises internet users to develop digital habits to protect their devices and information, similar to practicing personal hygiene during COVID-19.
MASERU, LESOTHO — The mention of germs or bacteria makes most people feel sick or disgusted. People take personal hygiene and cleanliness seriously because they are a basic part of everyone’s daily routine, writes Keiso Mohloboli
WHAT ABOUT DIGITAL BUGS?
Lesotho Tech digital security expert Mamothokoane Tlali suggests that internet users should develop digital habits that protect digital devices and information, in the same way that they commit to hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing to prevent COVID-19.
Mamothokoane Tlali is the Deputy Chairperson of the Internet Society of Lesotho and works for one of the telecommunications companies in Lesotho as the Executive Head of Enterprise Technology.
In an exclusive interview, Tlali told this publication that digital security experts have found that in most compromised security cases, social engineering was used.
“So while systems can be put in place, such as firewalls, antiviruses, and malware protection apps, eventually it boils down to an individual’s behaviour or conduct online. This brings me to some of the things one can do to protect themselves online. The list is by no means exhaustive, and can never be as technology keeps evolving and changing,” she said.
She outlined the list of best practices that one could use to be digitally hygienic;
1. Use of unique passwords, change them regularly, and use hard-to-guess passwords. We appreciate the challenge of remembering all passwords across different platforms that one interacts with daily, and there are password managers to help in this case.
2. Avoid oversharing online
3. Update your devices with latest releases
4. Beware of phishing, take some time to learn how to identify phishing attacks
5. Safe browsing, https instead of https websites
6. If you can, use safe VPNs (beware there are many viruses that masquerade as VPNs)
7. Always have a backup of your important files.
She warned internet users not only in Lesotho but in the world against clicking on emailed links from unknown sources.
Tlali further explained that human error is a primary cause of more than 90 percent of security incidents, according to research that was conducted in April 2022 by www.statista.com — everything from misconfiguring routers to clicking malicious emails.
“If you're unsure about an email, err on the side of caution. If the email purports to be from a bank or other website where you have an account, sign in through your browser, not through any link provided in the email.”
“One of the reasons the Wannacry ransomware attack was so devastating worldwide was because so few of the systems it targeted had been backed up,” Tlali said.
“If you're doing regular back-ups, ransomware is more of an inconvenience than a disaster.”
"You may lose a couple of days of work, but you won't have lost everything," Tlali said. "You can wipe the system and reinstall applications and files. How often you back everything up, and whether you use a cloud service or hard drive, is one of those choices that people make based on how much security, and usability they want."
Below are the guidelines suggested by Tlali for having secure credentials:
1. Create long passwords, should be a mix of letters, uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. The recommended characters should be between 14 and 16.
2. Don’t include as part of the password personal information that can be guessed
3. Avoid using the same password across different platforms, especially for important accounts, such as your internet banking and your email account.
4. Don’t share your credentials
5. If you can, add another layer of authentication, such as two factor authentication.
Using secure credentials is the first and most important step in being cyber-hygienic.
However, Tlali firmly says the internet is affordable in Lesotho as compared to other countries, and affordability contributes so much to better access.
“I believe data is affordable in Lesotho, compared to other countries and considering factors like access to sea cables, which play a vital role in the cost of Internet,
A lot of studies have been published over recent years that prove this, the most recent one I could get was done in April 2022.