The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) says it is collaborating with Cisco Networking Academy to intensify awareness on cybercrimes, as the menace of Internet fraud continues to eat deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society.
The Acting Administrator of DBI, Mrs Viola Usoro, on Tuesday in Lagos during the 2019 Cisco African Academy Cyber Security Conference for English West and Central Africa said that as more and more organisations adopted new ICT technologies in their operations and processes, cybercrimes or cyber attacks had become the greatest threats to every business.
She said that hundreds of attacks hit computer systems everywhere around the world, and according to her, it is estimated that 54 per cent of companies, the world over, experience at least one cyber attack every year.
“According to a survey by Sophos Nigeria limited and Sidmach Technologies, 60 per cent of businesses and organisations every year suffer cyber attack in the form of malware, phishing, Ransomware, Crypto jacking and so forth.
“92.4 per cent of these are delivered via email. Although most of these attacks are not covered by the media, they all lead to losses in millions of naira. The need for Cyber Security Framework underscores the importance of cybersecurity.
“Most businesses try to prevent cyber attacks by securing their networks using various Antivirus Software, establishing more secure networks, yet statistics show that a huge percentage of cyber breaches result from human errors. This re-emphasises the need for awareness creation and capacity building,” she said.
The Acting Administrator said that the conference put special focus on cyber security projects, creating a hub where significant stakeholders create awareness and build capacity on cyber security.
She said that DBI was established by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the purpose of ICT capacity building across all economic sectors in Nigeria.
Usoro said that pursuant to this mandate, the Institute had in the past decade and a half, championed functional and innovative ICT education covering cyber security and other emerging technologies.
She said that in 2018, DBI along with other industry stakeholders formulated the National Operational Standards in ICT trade areas.
According to her, these standards, once approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), will form part of the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to help regulate trainers and professionals in the ICT industry in Nigeria.
“In 2015, DBI became one of the six centres of excellence in Africa in the ITU ICT Academy Network and one of our focus areas is cybersecurity, where DBI will offer training on Cybersecurity and Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies.
“I am persuaded the Cisco Network Academy will chart a most effective roadmap for awareness creation and capacity building in cyber security for the coming years.
“We anticipate that the programme will identify new strategies to deter or outrightly prevent cyber attacks in our country.
“Afterall, it is in our collective interest for cyberspace to be safe, open and secure,” she said.
The General Manager, Cisco Systems West Africa, Kunle Oloruntimehin, said that the Academy planned to train one million students by 2025.
Oloruntimehin said that of the one million, 125,000 students would be trained on cybersecurity, of which most of them would be from Nigeria.
“There are two important things in life, which are education and digitisation, and these two things are delivered by Cisco Networking Academy,” he said.
Alfie Hamid, Regional Manager for Africa, Corporate Affairs, Cisco said that there was the need for partnership to curb cybercrime, toward socio-economic development.
Hamid said that digital disruption was happening rapidly, on a massive scale.
He said that unfortunately, digital disruption drove the hacker economy, creating an ever-evolving, dynamic threat landscape.
Tag: Cybercrime
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Cybercrimes: Institute strengthens awareness as Internet fraud runs deep in Nigeria
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EXCLUSIVE: Between Naira Marley and Internet fraud in Nigeria [Infographics]
As the menace of Internet fraud, also known as ‘yahoo yahoo’, continues to spread across Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has, between June 2018 and June 2019, arrested no fewer than 517 Internet fraudsters, aka ‘yahoo boys’, in Nigeria, including arresting singer Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, for suspected Internet fraud activities.
In this exclusive report, an analysis of Internet fraud, yahoo yahoo trend across the country by TheNewsGuru (TNG) shows that within the period under review, no fewer than 67 suspected Internet fraudsters were arraigned before a competent law court, including the arraignment of Naira Marley by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.
In what is the first comprehensive analysis of Internet fraudsters data in the country, TNG gathers that the EFCC, within the same period under review, secured no fewer than 191 convictions across the country, with Naira Marley still awaiting trial at the Lagos court, after his bail was secured, as the singer risks spending seven years in prison.
Chart showing EFCC fight against Internet fraud
Data for this report, that was cleaned before analysis was done, was generated by combing reported cases of Internet fraud – cases of arrested Internet fraudsters, cases of arraigned Internet fraudsters and cases of convicted Internet fraudsters – by the EFCC, as the nation continues to grapple with the menace.
TNG findings, depicted in the infographics used in this report, show that while the financial crimes watchdog arrested ninety-three (93) Internet fraudsters in Oyo state, ranking the highest in the number of arrested Internet fraudsters in the country, the Commission arrested eighty-eight (88) in Ogun, fifty-five (55) in Lagos, fifty-one (51) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, and forty-nine (49) in Delta state.
Infographic showing suspected Internet fraudsters arrested
In the analysis of numbers of suspected Internet fraudsters arraigned within the period under review, Oyo again recorded the highest number of suspected Internet fraudsters arraigned, being fourteen (14) cases. While Lagos reported thirteen (13) cases of suspected Internet fraudsters arraigned, Kwara reported nine (9), Edo and the FCT reported seven (7) cases each of suspected Internet fraudsters arraigned.
Infographic showing suspected Internet fraudsters arraigned
An analysis of reported cases of convicted Internet fraudsters shows that Rivers state recorded a total number of forty-six (46) convictions; and while Oyo recorded twenty-nine (29) total convictions, Ogun recorded twenty-eight (28), Edo recorded twenty-three (23) and Lagos recorded (19). The jail term ranges from one (1) month, being the lowest observed to 35 years, being the highest observed. In fact, there were two cases of a long jail term. While the next longest jail term was 27 years, the average was between 4 and 6 months.
Infographic showing convicted Internet fraudsters
Meanwhile, it was observed that the total number of convicted Internet fraudsters within the period under review was more than reported cases of Internet fraudsters arraigned before a competent law court. This is so as some Internet fraudsters arraigned outside the period under review were convicted within the period under review.
More significantly, no female suspected Internet fraudsters arrested by the EFCC were arraigned nor convicted by the Commission within the period. Out of 517 suspected Internet fraudsters arrested, twenty-three (23) were females.
Map showing spread of Internet fraud in Nigeria
While no activities of Internet fraudsters were observed in States such as Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara, from the map of Internet fraud in Nigeria attached above, it is obvious that the menace is rapidly spreading across the country, and according to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the country lost about N3.133 trillion to cybercrime annually, and even, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in a recent evaluation of nations in the Global Cyber-security Index placed Nigeria on number four in Africa.
Yahoo boys apprehended by the EFCC were mainly through intelligent reports. They employ various means to defraud their victims, the majority of who are foreigners. The fraudsters use social engineering, phishing emails, and text messages pretending to be sent from banks, requesting for Personal Identification Number (PIN) or revalidation of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) to defraud their victims.
The nature of fraud perpetrated also ranges from love scam – romance/dating scam by ‘catfishers’ – on dating site or social media, using fake identities and pseudo names, in which a male poses as a female and vice versa, to business scam – fake oil business deals, foreign job scam, fake agrochemical products deals, shopping scam and online marketing scam, also to facebook award scam and to facebook hackers, who specializes in hacking facebook users accounts with the view to defraud.
Infographics showing EFCC fight against Internet fraud
Usually, the fraudsters, who fall into the age range of fifteen (15) to thirty-nine (39) years of age, rely on a picker to receive money from foreign victims. While some receive money from their victims through Western Union money transfer, others do so through gift cards – Amazon, iTunes and Play gift cards; and also, cases of access card frauds abound.
While a catfisher is an individual who uses the Internet, and in particular, online dating websites to lure people into romance scam, a picker is a fraudster that provides foreign accounts to other Internet fraudsters which they usually used to receive money from any unfortunate victim. A picker is allegedly paid 30% of the total amount received in any of such accounts.
Items recovered from the fraudsters, who operate in syndicates are modems, cameras, printers, keyboards, power banks, Wi-Fi devices, about 200 cars, over 250 laptops, over 1200 phones, over 2200 SIM cards, ATM cards, Indian hemp, Hard Disk Drives, wrist watches and un-used bullets.
Others are international passports, including ECOWAS passport; documents with false pretences, books/diaries of phone numbers and email addresses; fetish objects and charms, an indication that Internet fraud is the marriage of witchcraft to technology in Nigeria.
The sum of over N500,000,000.00, USD 3.2 million, 80,000 Euros, 10,000 Pounds were also reported within the period. According to the EFCC, monies and items recovered from Internet fraudsters are being restituted to victims through the federal government.
While this report may not capture the exact data of Internet fraud activities in the country as data were sourced from reported cases only, it does paint a picture of a body of growing data of Internet fraud activities presently eating deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society. More alarming is that there is a very new trend in the emergence of yahoo yahoo training school across the country. -
We must checkmate cybercrime, says Danbatta
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Garba Danbatta has said the Commission in line with its mandate will continue to collaborate with the industry’s stakeholders especially on the issue of cybercrime.
Danbatta reiterated this at the 88th Edition of Telecom Consumer Parliament with the theme ‘’Challenges of Cybercrime: The Role of the Telecoms Service Providers’’ which held on Thursday in Abuja.
With respect to cyber security, the EVC said the Commission would continue to ensure dialogue and active participation where we can harness additional ideas and implementation in order to protect ourselves.
Reflecting on e-services, Danbatta affirmed that all telecom stakeholders need to go back to the drawing board in order to inspire confidence in consumers to patronize the communications services because if Nigerians do not subscribe to telecommunications services, the services will die and millions of Nigerians will lose their jobs, the revenue the telecom Industry generates to GDP will not be there and that is a recipe for disaster.
The TCP resolved that service providers should have a unified database for Sim cards in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to reduce the number of Sim card fraudsters.
It was also agreed that cyber crime offenders instead of just being jailed, should be put in facilities where their skills can be deployed for development of Technology as opposed to just being incarcerated.
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NCC addresses disclosure of subscribers’ identity by telecom operators
The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, says it is an offence for any telecommunication operator to disclose data of subscribers on their network.
Danbatta said this at the 88th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) with the theme: “Challenges to Cybercrime: The Role of Telecom Service Providers ” on Thursday in Abuja.
He said cybercrime had become pervasive in the country, adding that every consumer should be protected, except in exceptional cases with permission of the security authorities.
The vice chairman said the commission came up with such annual events so as to sensitise Nigerians, to ensure adequate protection of networks thereby taking measures to protect access to privacy.
“It is wrong for telecommunications operators to disclose any data identity of subscribers on their network without permission. It is unlawful.
“If such instances take place, then the subscriber in question can escalate this matter to the NCC and we will investigate and establish whether that is the case and take necessary regulatory measures.
“The database of subscribers with network operators is not supposed to be disclosed to anyone.
“It can be done lawfully with interception project in place where such data can be acquired in the interest of security of the nation.
“We must try to ensure the security and privacy of all subscribers on the telecommunication networks, that is the only way we can instil confidence in subscribers and other Nigerians to patronise telecommunications service,” he said.
He, however, said operators had been encouraged to embark on the know your customer programme as it was very important for customers to be enlightened on what to do when challenges surfaced.
According to Danbatta, at the national level, we have the Nigerian Computer Response Team that domiciles in the office of the national security adviser and put in place in order to secure the Nigerian cyberspace by keeping cyber attacks at bay.
“By preventing them from getting into the national networks, whether telecommunications, broadcast and other networks deliberately put in place in order to ensure the wellbeing of things of this country.
“The strategies that we are recommending are strategies that are easily implantable; they are strategies that will assist citizens on what to do to protect themselves from cyber attacks.
“People, who commit these kind of crimes take their identities. There is the need to continue to change usernames as well as some authentication that will ensure security of data,” he said.
In his remarks, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, Head Information and Reference Unit, NCC, said they had gone round the country on a sensitisation programme so that everybody would know about the telecom industry.
Adedigba explained that the commission gave licence to telecom operators to deploy services everywhere in the country.
He also said the universal service provision fund helped in subsidising to make sure that everyone was included in the digital revolution to enjoy availability, affordability and accessibility.
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NCC, ONSA go tough on fake mobile devices
Worried by the recurrent cycle of fraudsters deploying their trade via fake and substandard mobile devices, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other government agencies, yesterday set up committees to combat the situation.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the two joint committees set up are the Project Steering Committee (PSC), comprising the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Federal Ministry of Communications and the NCC; and the Project Delivery Team (PDT) which draws representation from the Federal Ministry of Communications, the ICRC, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the NCC.
The committees, with specific terms of references, are to work together to ensure the implementation of Mobile Devices Management Systems (DMS), a Public-Private Partnership project, aimed at combatting the proliferation of fake, counterfeit, substandard and cloned mobile communications devices in the telecommunication industry.
While inaugurating the committees in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the move was in line with the mandate of the Commission, as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003, to type-approve all devices used in the telecommunications industry and to ensure that all devices used in the telecommunications industry are in line with agreed standards and specifications.
According to him, the principal objective of the proposed DMS project is to “establish a secure and comprehensive single-window solution that will enable the Commission to implement a proven solution in the Nigerian environment that is sustainable and demonstrate value for money in addition helping to address the various concerns that have been raised with the NCC from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in our regular interactions on security matters as it concerns the telecommunications industry”.
He said the increasing cybercrime, evasion of taxes, terrorism and health and safety concerns raised by the use of stolen, counterfeit and substandard devices in Nigeria is a responsibility which the NCC takes seriously.
“In 2015, the NCC organised a stakeholder forum aimed at developing recommendations that could influence decision and policy directions, leading to solutions to combat the issue of counterfeit and substandard Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country.
“Based on the importance of the project to the NCC, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the ICRC were engaged for a no-objection to advertise for International Competitive Bidding (ICB) process towards the acquisition of an effective DMS solution, and the ICRC subsequently recommended the establishment of the two committees to fast-track the process,” he said.
Representative of the Minister of Communications, Chief Adebayo Shittu and Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Mrs. Nkechi Ejele, commended the NCC for the initiative, stressing that she was impressed with the comprehensive and clear terms of reference given to the committees.
“The ministry has no doubt that thorough implementation of the terms of references as reeled out by Prof. Umar Danbatta in his presentation, will ensure effective delivery of the project aimed at sanitizing the economy of fake devices with their attendant challenges,” she said.
Also, Director, PPP Resource Department of ICRC, Mr. Michael Ohiani, said as the agency in charge of regulatory oversight over all PPP initiatives of government, “The Commission would support the process to ensure transparency of the process and value for money invested on the project.
“The constitution of the PSC and PDT are to ensure that projects are delivered in a sustainable manner and in the overall interest of the country and we would work with all stakeholders in this project to ensure effective implementation”.
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NCC takes enlightenment campaign against cybercrime to Niger State
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has taken its enlightenment campaign against cybercrime to Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, to sensitise telecommunications consumers to the rising wave of the scourge.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Mr Nnamdi Nwokike, NCC Director of Public Affairs.
He said that the campaign was done at the 26th Edition of the Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM) held in Niger State with the theme: “Mitigating Effects of Cybercrimes: The Role of Telecom Consumers”.
He explained that the commission sensitised the consumers to the threat of cybercrime, its various forms as well as measures to be taken to ensure they were protected from cyber criminals and hackers.
Mrs Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, told consumers at the forum that as broadband penetration got deeper for positive engagement and efficient economic activities, there was tendency for some Internet users to use the access for criminal and illegal activities.
She said that such criminal activities was also on the rise, thereby requiring adequate consumer education.
Represented by Alh. Bashir Idris, Head of Government & Legislative Unit of Public Affairs Department, NCC, she said that it was necessary for individual and corporate consumers of telecoms services to become aware of cybercrime trends and forms.
She said that it was also important for telecom consumers to make conscious efforts to ensure safe use of connected devices, to prevent cyber criminals from making cyberspace unsafe.
According to her, businesses and individuals in every country currently rely on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for their day-to-day activities, where Internet is playing a key role in interconnectivity of devices.
“It is common knowledge that the use of internet has become part of telecom consumer’s daily activities whether at home, in the workplace or any social setting.
“Smartphones and other smart devices used by telecom consumers are a storehouse of data carrying sensitive information about the user, his or her family, businesses, associates and daily interaction as well as financial transaction details.
“Admittedly, the Internet touches almost all aspects of our lives as telecom consumers,” she said.
She said that the commission embarked on various initiatives to increase access to the internet for Nigerians for positive engagement.
She then explained that hackers and cyber criminals also deploy sophisticated systems to intrude into your connected devices, to perpetrate their exploitative schemes.
However, the commission’s chief consumer protector, stated that continuous consumer education and awareness remained one of the most effective ways to protect telecom consumers.
“Hence, the commission is committed to using its various outreach programmes to embark on series of awareness campaigns, to keep consumers well informed on the risks associated with being online.
“Enlightening them on safety measures to be taken once they use connected devices as simple as feature phones, smartphones and other more sophisticated Internet-enabled devices,” she added.
The statement also said that Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, Head, Information & Reference Unit, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, revealed that the commission was in the process of establishing an Internet Industry Code of Practice.
He said that the objective of the Industry Code of Practice was to provide a robust framework to sanitise the cyber space for telecom consumers.
Mr Jibe Abdul-Aziz, representative of a consumer advocacy group, Wheel of Hope, in his lead paper, enlightened consumers on forms of cybercrime such as phishing scams, online scams.
Abdul-Aziz also enlightened the consumers on hacking, malware, and child soliciting & abuse and identity theft among others, while educating them on safety tips.
According to him, the safety measures needed to be taken by the consumers should not be limited to outright deleting of suspicious scam emails or text messages but should include using strong passwords, using trusted software and keeping it updated.
“Talking to children about internet fraud, reporting cases of lost Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card to service providers and respective banks, among others.
Representatives of telecoms operators also took time to enlighten their consumers on efforts being made by them and role expected to be played by consumers to ensure safety when online on their various networks.
The Commission also educated consumers on other Consumer-centric industry issues, such as the NCC toll-free line -622, Do-Not-Disturb (DND) 2442 Code, consumer complaints management.
They also talked about other industry issues such as base stations and health concerns, pre-registered SIMs, Mobile Number Portability (MNP), among others.
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NCC, Judiciary, to jointly fight cybercrime
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday called for the cooperation and contributions of the judiciary to checkmate rising cases of cybercrime in the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the plea in Lagos during the “2018 Annual Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunication’’.
He said that in spite of the country’s positive achievements in digitalisation, the country was still facing issues concerning cyber security, information and data protection.
Danbatta was represented by Mr Clem Baiye, a Board Member of NCC.
“Cyber criminals have continued to develop new strategies to circumvent cyber security, regardless of measures put in place to checkmate their acts.
“It is necessary to discuss the admissibility of electronic evidence toward the successful prosecution of such cyber criminals.
“As such, the commission recognises the need for the judicial system to be part of those making contributions to checkmate the issue of cybercrime.
“Hence, the bold step behind exposing our judges to issues in telecommunication, ‘’he said.
According to him, digitalisation has changed our lives more than any other technical revolution because it has affected our means of communication, fundamental rights and privacy.
Danbatta said that the increase in cybercrime might be due to the proliferation of the internet and the decreasing cost of technology, which had provided millions of users the access to enormous resources.
He said that the workshop was also meant to discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI), a tool that enabled people to rethink how they integrate information, analyse data and use the resulting insights to improve decision-making.
Danbatta said that the commission would demonstrate how AI was already altering the world and raising important questions for the society, the economy and how it had affected the courts in speeding up decision-making.
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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.
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Cybercrime damage would hit $6 trillion annually by 2021 – U.S. envoy
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 News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference had the theme: ”Mitigating Cyber Threats in the Digital Age”.
The consul-general 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.
Infographics: ICPC recovers N32.7bn in 12 years
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High cost of cybercrime in Africa cause for concern
Ken Munyi has decried the high cost of cybercrime in Africa is a cause for concern, and that African businesses need to take more decisive steps to prioritise data protection and enhance enterprise security in order to mitigate the high cost of cyberattacks.
TheNewsGuru reports Munyi, Country Manager at iWayAfrica Kenya says the millions of cyberattacks that take place every year across the continent is a big issue particularly for Africa’s larger economies such as South Africa and Nigeria, as well as Kenya which was ranked as the 69th most vulnerable country in the Global Threat Index out of 127 nations, last year.
“Guaranteeing data protection is vitally important for minimising financial loss while also complying with regulatory requirements and meeting customer expectations. Organisations need to take a proactive approach to enterprise security and view it as a strategic investment as opposed to an onerous expense to the institution,” notes Munyi.
Since threats like ransomware and malware continue to reach new levels of sophistication, Munyi says traditional and one-size-fits-all defences are no longer enough to properly address and reduce the potential risks of a cyberattack. “Just as the physical security of a business might include burglar bars, security gates and CCTV cameras, a similar multipronged approach is necessary for cybersecurity and should encompass security at the network perimeter and end-point level, together with application, email and web security measures.”
Munyi recommends organisations carry out a comprehensive assessment of their existing processes and procedures, identify what needs to be protected, and assess the specific risks and potential impacts on the business. “The iWayAfrica approach is to treat every customer context as unique with regard to solution design, support and pricing. Any well-crafted enterprise communication solution should allow for personalised support and create discernible value by allowing organisations to thrive in their chosen areas of focus.”
Should a security breach occur, Munyi advises organisations first focus their efforts on mitigation of data loss and then formulate a plan of action that identifies where the breach originated, an assessment of the damage, and a strategy to prevent similar threats from materialising in the future. “According to current estimates, Kenya has lost about Sh20 billion as a result of cybercrime, yet only 4% of Kenyan companies spent more than Sh515,000 (the equivalent of 5,000 US dollars) on cybersecurity,” says Munyi.
The vulnerability of Kenyan organisations to cyberattacks can also be seen within the broader context of challenges faced by Telcos in the country according to Munyi. These include a shortage of skilled experts in the ICT sector and a disruptive political environment, particularly during election cycles, during which businesses opt to delay major decisions leading to a slowdown of economic productivity.
“Ultimately, issues around cybersecurity deserve increased planning and attention. There is no doubt that security reliability of information connected over distributed networks offering convenience to stakeholders is vital both in the public and private sectors,” concludes Munyi.