TheNewsGuru

Tag: CSEAN

  • NCC receives cybersecurity award, seeks safer Internet usage

    NCC receives cybersecurity award, seeks safer Internet usage

    The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) at the weekend received a cybersecurity promotion award from the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigerian (CSEAN) and called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with NCC to promote safer Internet experience in Nigeria.

    The award was conferred on the Commission in recognition of NCC’s sterling contributions to the protection of telecom consumers from all forms of cybercrimes. The conferment ceremony took place at the maiden edition of Cybersecurity Merit Awards (CMA-2022) organised by CSEAN in Lagos.

    Receiving the 2022 Cybersecurity Award for Best Public Sector Organisation at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who was represented by a delegation led by the Director, New Media and Information Security (NMIS), Dr. Alhassan Haru; and Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, thanked the orgainser for the recognition.

    He told the audience that tackling the menace of cybercrime in the country has become even more imperative as the success of the implementation of digital economy policy and strategy depends on a strong foundation of cybersecurity architecture in Nigeria.

    Danbatta said one of the key pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, is Soft Infrastructure, which is premised on harnessing policy and regulatory initiatives to create an enabling environment that focuses on increased protection for users of digital products and services in the country. “The Commission is committed to ensuring that the Nigerian cyberspace is protected against the nefarious activities of cybercriminals that endanger unsuspecting Internet users in the country,” he said.

    The EVC said it is in recognition of the strategic role the cyberspace plays in the advancement of digital economy that the Commission created NMIS department in charge of several activities, initiatives and programmes pivoted on collaboration to enhance cybersecurity and information security in the Nigerian cyberspace. “We have continued to be part of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), promote Child Online Protection as well as create awareness on cyber threats through the NCC’s Computer Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT), which constantly monitors the cyberspace and publishes advisories on identified cyber threats,” the EVC said.

    Danbatta said as the regulator of telecom sector, the main carrier of cyber communication, the NCC has leveraged NDEPS to work with relevant stakeholders to create an enabling environment where Internet users are able to navigate the cyberspace without being abused, attacked or losing money. The Chief telecom regulator appealed to all stakeholders to join hands with the Commission in tackling every manifestation of cyber threat.

    The CMA 2020 is organized to recognise individuals, startups, private businesses, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government, as well as state governments for excellence, innovation, and effective leadership in promoting cybersecurity ecosystem in Nigeria.

  • Cybercrime damage to hit $6 trillion

    Cyber security ventures are suggesting that damage by global cybercrime would hit six trillion dollars annually by 2021, Mr John Bray, U.S. Consul-General in Nigeria, has said.

    Bray made the disclosure at the opening of a two-day conference organised by Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

    The consul-general, at the conference themed: “Mitigating Cyber Threats in the Digital Age”, said that cybercrime might soon become more profitable than global trade.

    He also expressed worry that applications and infrastructure being built with an agile mindset could be easily adapted for purposes not originally conceived by their coders.

    Bray said that, with Internet of Things (IoT) and the growth of the digital movement, there would be continuous increase of cybercrime.

    “As the world embraces the IoT, big data, cloud and mobility, security must be more than an afterthought.

    “With new threats appearing on a daily basis, and attackers continuously refining their techniques, it could be difficult to keep up.

    “Businesses and government agencies need to evolve more infrastructure to cope with the ever-changing threats.

    “Landscape organisations can no longer merely react to threats but need to create infrastructure that are agile and adaptive where breaches are addressed before they happen,” he advised.

    Bray said that cyber security must become an enabler of businesses, lifestyles, healthcare and a better society.

    He urged that workshops, plenary and breakout sessions at the conference should fully explore the issues and further prepare Nigeria’s cyber security industry for evolving challenges of the cyber space.

    The envoy also urged Nigerians to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing cyber security awareness campaign tagged “Stop. Think. Connect”.

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, said that although the commission was not a security agency, it ensured that there was an enabling environment to assist security agencies in telecom-related security incidents.

    He said that Nigeria was facing numerous challenges in cybercrime management as a result of absence of comprehensive and reliable demographic and biometric database.

    “We also have insufficient expertise in the area of cyber and information security.

    “We do not have sufficient inter- agency, regional and international collaborations, ” he said.

    The executive vice chairman said that the commission had played several roles in combating cybercrime and developing cyber security.

    “We have put in place relevant regulations to support security agencies such as registration on lawful interception.

    He added that the commission championed national SIM card registration, noting that the registration matched each SIM card with a biometric identity that served as a key database which governments and crime management programmes could rely on.

    Danbatta also said that the commission played a major role in the implementation of national cyber security strategy.

    Danbatta said that CSEAN was a partner in the “Stop. Think. Connect” campaign aimed at helping global digital citizens to stay safer and more secure.

    He advised Nigerians to be more vigilant and develop safe online habits.

     

  • Cybercrimes: Nigeria loses N127b yearly

    Cybercrimes: Nigeria loses N127b yearly

    A cyber security group, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has estimated that Nigeria loses about N127 billion to cybercrimes yearly.

    It said several cases of cyber crime activities in the country, many of which have resulted in financial losses by individuals and organisations, had been widely unreported.

    The CSEAN said the country might face even greater odds in cybersecurity threats this year.

    It, however, identified five cyber crimes that will dominate Nigeria this year based on the current trends as CEO e-mail scam, ransomware, online-assisted kidnapping, cyber bullying and online impersonation.

    CSEAN President, Remi Afon, who said that the year 2017 would witness more ransomware than ever seen before in Nigeria, stated that with the rise of ransomware-as-a-service, cyber criminals could now purchase a user-friendly kit they could deploy with little or no cyber know-how from the dark web.

    He described ransomware as a type of malware that infects a machine when a user clicks on a seemingly legitimate link and unknowingly downloads a malicious file. The virus will then encrypt the user’s files, share drives and servers, leaving them inaccessible unless the victim pays for the decryption key usually in crypto currency.

    He said: “That kidnapping is on the rise in Nigeria is no news. What many people don’t know is that kidnappers are being assisted by their victims’ social media online activities and geolocation data on their smartphones. Geolocation data is information that can be used to identify an electronic device’s physical location.”

    According to him, using smartphones’ built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality allows location-based services (or geo-location) to locate and publish information about smartphone owners’ whereabouts.

    He also identified online impersonation, which he categorised into two, as another top cyber crime to watch out for in 2017. He said while the first category impersonates politicians and religious leaders on social media by creating fake profiles with the aim of scamming their victims, the second usually creates fake profiles with attractive fake pictures so they can engage in what is called ‘romance scam’.

    Afon stressed that cyber criminals were mainly interested in targeting foreigners, claiming they were in love with them and establishing a love relation to be able to swindle them.