Cyber security: Threats, Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures - A Perspective on the State of Affairs in Mauritius

Recent incident analysis from CERT-MU has found that there have been an increase in cybercrime activities including unauthorised access, electronic fraud, identity theft, denial of service, spamming and fake accounts. This paper describes the most common global vulnerabilities and threats and also provide an overview of countermeasures such as encryption, back-tracing and the use of common security standards and protocols such as ISO 127K. In addition, the security issues of emerging technologies such as IPv6, Internet of Things, and Cloud Computing are investigated. The system and infrastructure of the Mauritian Cybersecurity framework is also reviewed and recommendations are provided to build a strong and resilient cyber security framework in the country. This is particularly important given that Mauritius is embarking on the ambitious project of deploying smart cities with the integration of all these emerging technologies. Security must indeed be at the centre of all considerations in this endeavour.