The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN)

  • FG laments N127b loss to cyber crime

    FG laments N127b loss to cyber crime

    …Partners CSEAN on awareness creation, cyber defence      

    The Federal Government has said the country loses over N127 billion annually to cyber-crimes across the country.

    Minister of Communications, Bar. Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this yesterday during Cyber Secure Conference organised by the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) in Abuja.

    The Minister acknowledged increasing threats in the nation’s cyberspace stressing that the trend was becoming more sophisticated and frequent.

    He said it was thus important to intensify efforts to secure the country’s cyber space against imminent threats, as the federal government already inaugurated an advisory council on cyber security.

    His words: “Indeed, Nigeria loses over N127 billion annually, which translates to about 0.08 of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The financial implication could be much more, but a larger number of incidents remain undetected or unreported. These grim figures go on to emphasise the fact that cyber criminals never sleep.

    Building a resilient cyber defence is a priority as available statistics puts the cost of cyber-crime globally at $700 billion per year, and it is projected to rise to about $2 trillion by 2019, due to the rapid digitisation of consumer lives and company records. Breaches like these have steadily been on the rise as according to reports, the number of incidents in 2016 grew by 38 per cent as against the number reported in 2015.

    According to him, the country is in dire need of cyber experts that could help secure the cyberspace.

    Earlier, CSEAN President, Remi Afon identified the need for the country to implement the National Cyber Security Strategy and Policy designed by the federal government to secure the country.

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    He cited the recent global cyber-attack named as ‘wannacry ransomware’ which had wreaked havoc in 104 countries and shut down over 200, 000 computers.

    However, he said the government should make it a mandate in partnership with other stakeholders in the sector to create cybersecurity awareness across the country.

    Aside, Afon urged the federal government to allocate budget to build cyber defence system and increase capacities among private and public establishments in order to jointly build a resilient cyber security ecosystem.

    “We don’t need to be reminded of the growing sophistication and pervasiveness of cyber-attacks, whether it was a billion compromised Yahoo accounts or state-sponsored hackers muscling on national elections.

    “Just last week, the world was hit with ‘WannaCry ransomware’ attack one of the largest ever cyber-attacks in recent years… This attack reinforces how dependent we have become on our data-driven networks and serves as a wake-up call for government, businesses and organisations to make cyber security top priority,” he added.

    Presents at the conference were representative of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), KPMG Nigeria, Microsoft, Panda among others.

  • Panda, CSEAN ready to offer solutions on new generation cyber threats

    Panda, CSEAN ready to offer solutions on new generation cyber threats

    Panda Security in partnership with the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has disclosed plans to offer solutions to emerging cyber threats in the country.

    Regional Manager of Panda Security, Jeremy Matthews, on Friday said African organisations and governments are no longer immune to efforts of today’s cyber-criminals.

    Speaking ahead of the Cyber Secure Nigeria 2017 conference, scheduled to hold from May 16 -18, he stated that the meeting was designed to prepare participants on ways to defend their networks and operations against the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks. The event is themed “Building Resilient Cyber Defence”.

    “We are proud to announce our participation in this event, it is a great initiative by CSEAN that sheds light on the cyber-security environment and what organisations can do to combat the advanced threats we see today,” Mathews stated.

    In a joint statement issued with the CSEAN President, Remi Afon in Abuja, business leaders and IT professionals need to ensure they are making informed decisions about their cyber-security.

    According to him, the drive for profitable attacks by cyber-criminals saw the number and severity of attacks increasing rapidly each quarter for the last few years.

    “In the light of these changes, it is imperative that industry stakeholders collaborate and share their knowledge of products and best practices,” he stated.

    He assured that Panda will provide insights into its new generation technology relating to EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) and SIEM (Security Incident and Event Management).

    The statement reads: “This changes the model from traditional AV of the past to one based on prevention, detection and response technology. A paradigm that Panda Security has implemented through their Adaptive Defence 360 (AD360) solution.

    “Adaptive Defense 360 is the first offering to combine EPP (Endpoint Protection) and EDR capabilities into a single solution. By leveraging EDR technology, AD360 accurately classified all running programs, only allowing legitimate programs to run. Closing the cycle of adaptive malware protection, by including automated prevention, detection, forensics and remediation into a holistic solution.”

  • Cost of cyber crime to hit $6 trillion annually – Report

    Cost of cyber crime to hit $6 trillion annually – Report

    A report by Cybersecurity Ventures has predicted that global annual cyber crime cost will grow to about $6 trillion by 2021.

    The report released by the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), on Wednesday in Abuja, stated that the menace would soon include destruction of data, stolen money, lost productivity and theft of intellectual property.

    Others include theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, fraud, post-attack disruption to the normal course of business, forensic investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems including reputational harm.

    According to the CSEAN President, Remi Afon, the estimate does not include the cost incurred for unreported crimes.

    The Federal Government had estimated annual cybercrime loss to N127 billion annually.

    Afon, who attributed the statistics to founder of Ponemon Institute, Larry Ponemon stressed the need to increase cyber security awareness adding that this would help curb the menace.

    However, he stated that as part of efforts to seek global partnership towards combating the crime in Nigeria, the association would discuss in Switzerland, cyber-security awareness drive in Nigeria.

    Afon stated that effort of CSEAN in cyber-security awareness campaign in Nigeria, the challenges and gains so far would be discussed.

    He further disclosed plans to use the opportunity canvass for international support for the nation in its efforts to curb cybercrime.

    “While multinational organisations are quick to roll out technology to Africa, it’s unfortunate that they are reluctant to support efforts of non-governmental organisations in highlighting the risk associated with new technologies and how to stay safe,” he added.

    The Bern Symposium on Global Cybersecurity Awareness Messaging is expected to address the development of cyber-security awareness programs at the national and transnational levels.

    The two-day workshop will discuss the assets and relationships that are leveraged to organize and deploy a maximally effective national cyber-security awareness campaign.

    The Symposium’s objective is to establish a global strategy for transnational cyber security messaging, with assets deployed as a form of cybercrime prevention regimen, and maintained as an instrument of behavioural management subject to the same rigor as any other kind of public health measure.

  • Cyber Security: Experts launch anti-cyber-attack programme

    Cyber Security: Experts launch anti-cyber-attack programme

    In an effort to stem the tide of incessant cyber-attacks on internet users in the country, information communication experts have launched an anti-cyber-attack programme known as the CyberSAFE.

    The experts, under the aegis of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), said the cybersafe programme would be added to CSEAN public training schedule, alongside end-user cyber security training course and corresponding assessment.

    Speaking in an interview with the association’s President, Remi Afon, in Abuja on Monday, he explained that both programmes were developed in partnership with Logical Operations with the aim of helping organizations combat cyber security threats.

    According to him, the cybersafe training program was designed for non-technical end-users of computers, mobile devices, networks, and the Internet.

    He said: “Logical operations’ new cybersaafe instructor-led training curriculum, available now through training centers, enables employees of any organization to identify many of the common risks involved in using conventional end-user technology, as well as ways to use it safely to protect themselves and their organizations from those security risks.

    “End-users play a critical role in protecting an organization’s data, but often times; they are the weakest link in the security chain. In fact, according to Reuters.com, end-user awareness and training reduces security-related risks for organizations by 45% to 70%.”

    He further expressed confidence that the cybersafe, if embraced, would go a long way in equipping businesses, government ministries, agencies and departments to reduce the threats posed by cyber criminals in the country.

    “Considering that end users are the weakest link in most cyber-attacks, it becomes imperative to equip all employees on how to remain safe online.

    “We developed the CyberSAFE training program because we recognize that end-users are a crucial part of protecting an organization’s assets, especially since emerging trends such as byod are exposing organizations to more and more security threats. With the CyberSAFE training program, employees and organizations everywhere will learn how to use technology more securely to minimize security risks to themselves and their organizations.” he added

  • Experts take cyber security awareness to varsities 

    Experts take cyber security awareness to varsities 

    Cyber experts under the aegis of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) have completed plans to increase awareness campaign on cyber security to Universities and tertiary institutions in the country.

    The seminar themed: “STOP THINK CONNECT” is aimed at educating Internet users in Nigeria on vigilance and practice of safe online habits.

    President, CSEAN Remi Afon in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, said also that this will positively transform public and private sectors collaborations toward cyber security.

    He stated that, “STOP. THINK. CONNECT.  primary aim is to educate all Internet users in Nigeria to be more vigilant about practicing safe online habits; to ensure that Internet safety is perceived as a shared responsibility at home, in school, in the workplace, and throughout our communities”

    According to him, a similar campaign was launched in January 2015 during the CSEAN annual Cyber Secure Nigeria Conference in Abuja.

    He said the awareness  has since been spreading through social media, symposium and lectures in secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

    Afon added that the 2016 version of same will be held at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University where the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Muhammad Nasir Maiturare will declare open the programme.

    It reads in part: “CSEAN intends to launch the campaign in all tertiary institutions and secondary schools in Nigeria.

    “The association recently kick started the higher institution campaign in two Federal Universities namely Federal University of Technology Minna and University of Abuja and has lined up ten other Universities for awareness campaign before the end of the year.

    “CSEAN is presently a partner of STOP. THINK. CONNECT.  a first-ever global public awareness campaign developed to help all Internet users keep their data, personal information, communications, and transactions safer and more secure online.

    ” The STOP.THINK. CONNECT campaign cuts through the cognitive clutter of online life, using an extensively tested suite of messaging instruments used in common by public, private and NGO sectors to encourage Internet users to stay safe online. ” he explained

    He expressed worries that while the benefits of internet and associated technologies are being echoed by vendors and service providers alike, most users are unaware of online dangers and threats.

    His words: “In Nigeria today, people get bullied online daily, people identity get stolen in a matter of seconds, cyber criminals use social engineering tactics to steal people credentials; all these and others are challenges that we face today. It is important to educate people on measures to take to be safe online.”