1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The future of our security and prosperity rests on a robust and secure digital environment. Our generation’s greatest test lies in a flourishing digital environment that is resilient to computer threats, armed with the understanding and requirements to maximize opportunities and mitigate risk. Our dependence on the internet breeds a lot of insecurity as its very invention was based on robustness and adaptability instead of its security. These loopholes have given birth to criminals of different intent trying to exploit vulnerabilities by launching cyber-attacks. Due to the evolving nature of the cyber landscape, these threats cannot be eradicated but Sierra Leone is committed to ensure the risks are minimized to enhance the safety, security and prosperity of the state. 1.1 INTRODUCTION The biggest revolution ever seen by the human race is that of Information and communication technologies, and keeps evolving and is now integrated into virtually every aspect of our lives. The world is digitalized and Sierra Leone is not an exception. The integrity of cyberspace is enormous as loss of trust in that integrity would jeopardize the benefits of this technological revolution. Most of the hardware and software originally created to facilitate this interconnected digital environment has prioritized efficiency, cost and the convenience of the user, but has not always had security designed in from the start. Malicious actors – hostile states, criminal or terrorist organizations and individuals – can exploit the gap between convenience and security. Narrowing that gap is a national priority. The introduction of internet of things (IOTs) is expanding the Internet beyond computers and mobile phones into other cyber-physical or ‘smart’ systems which are extending the threats of remote exploitation to a whole host of new technologies. Systems and technologies that underpin our daily lives are therefore potentially compromised. The government of Sierra Leone has now seen cyber threats as part of its routine concerns and pose a greater risk to the state of Sierra Leone.