By Eric Appah Marfo, GNA
Accra, Aug. 18, GNA – A Cybersecurity expert has warned journalists and media organisations to strengthen their digital security practices as growing cyber threats put sensitive sources, unpublished stories, and newsroom credibility at risk.
He said journalists were increasingly exposed to threats including phishing, social engineering, account takeovers, malware, ransomware, spyware, device theft, and targeted surveillance.
Professor Kofi Sarpong Adu-Manu, an Associate Professor of Wireless Communication Networks at the Department of Computer Science, University of Ghana, gave the advice on Day Two of the National Community Media Cyber Capacity Building Project (NCMCCBP) in Accra.
The project, implemented by the Cyber Security Authority, in partnership with the Africa Centre for Digital Transformation (ACDT), and funded by the Government of the Czech Republic, seeks to build the capacity of community and mainstream media practitioners to improve cybersecurity awareness nationwide.
Whilst facilitating a session titled; “Introduction to the Fundamentals of Cybersecurity for Media Practitioners”, he said cybersecurity should be considered a core component of editorial safety because journalists routinely handled sensitive information, confidential sources, recordings, photographs, datasets and unpublished investigations.
Prof Adu-Manu said a compromised phone, email account or contact list could expose confidential sources and put them at risk, while stolen or manipulated drafts and other journalistic materials could undermine investigations and public trust.
He said many attacks began with seemingly ordinary routines, including opening suspicious messages, clicking malicious links, reusing passwords and sharing too much personal information online.
Among the common threats identified were phishing emails and fake login pages, social engineering through calls and messages, account takeovers, unsafe attachments, infected USB drives, device theft, doxxing, harassment and targeted surveillance.
Prof Adu-Manu noted that journalists and community media organisations were not merely accidental victims of cyberattacks but could be deliberate targets because of their public visibility and access to sensitive information.
It identified account takeover as a major threat, noting that hijacked accounts could result in loss of data, revenue and credibility, while a single reused password could expose years of journalistic work.
The facilitator also highlighted ransomware, phishing and spear-phishing, spyware and surveillance as threats capable of compromising journalists and their work.
He cited the case of Teixeira Cândido, an Angolan journalist whose phone was infected with Predator spyware in May 2024 after he clicked on a malicious WhatsApp link, as an illustration of the risks journalists could face.
The expert urged journalists to make security decisions based on the sensitivity of their stories and the potential risks to the people involved.
He advised them to agree on safe communication channels before contacting sensitive sources, avoid unnecessarily exposing identities and locations, separate personal and professional accounts, safely verify files and check photographs and metadata before sharing them.
The Professor also encouraged journalists to review what information should be retained, archived, anonymised or deleted after publication.
The training highlighted the principle of collecting the least sensitive information necessary, securing it properly and sharing it only with people who needed access.
The Expert also urged journalists to have a response plan in case their devices or accounts were compromised.
He recommended that affected journalists first disconnect the compromised device or account without deleting potential evidence, document relevant messages and screenshots, report the incident to the editor or relevant security personnel, and then change passwords, revoke active sessions and restore backups.
Prof Adu-Manu encouraged media organisations to establish basic digital-security policies, make two-factor authentication mandatory, encrypt devices, maintain tested backups and conduct regular cybersecurity training for staff.
He noted that strengthening cybersecurity within newsrooms was not simply an information-technology responsibility but an essential part of protecting journalists, sources, journalistic work and public trust.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo
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