Media urged to help safeguard Critical Information Infrastructure as new threats emerge

Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) in Ghana is facing increasing threats from data breaches, supply chain attacks, and AI-generated deepfakes, according to the Cyber Security Authority (CSA). Senior Manager Alex Awere-Kyere warned of the growing sophistication of attackers targeting essential services during a cyber capacity-building project in Accra on August 10, 2026.

CII encompasses sectors like energy, finance, health, telecommunications, transport, and government digital platforms. A breach in any of these areas could disrupt public services and endanger national security.

Awere-Kyere highlighted three main types of threats: data infiltration, where hackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive databases; supply chain attacks, where third-party vendors compromise larger systems; and AI-driven deepfakes, which create fake audio, videos, and documents for deception or manipulation. He emphasized that protecting CII requires more than technical solutions and identified the media as having a crucial role in strengthening national cybersecurity.

The media's responsibilities include avoiding detailed reporting on vulnerabilities that could aid criminals, refraining from publishing personal data or sensitive information about affected individuals and organizations, preventing public panic and misinformation by verifying information before publication, and avoiding amplifying cyber extortion by not giving undue publicity to ransom demands.

As cyber threats evolve, especially with the rise of AI tools, journalists must also enhance their capacity to detect misinformation and not become unwitting tools for cybercriminals.