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Tag: Cybercrime

  • How internet users can be protected from cybercrime, by NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stressed the need for the over 114 million internet users in the country to show interests in getting constant enlightenment to ensure proper protection against cybercrime.

    NCC Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, in Lagos yesterday, spoke of the  need for awareness programmes where consumers were informed on the dangers of cybercrimes.

    Mrs. Onwuegbuchulam said that such programmes would ensure that internet users learnt and observed skills through which they could be protected while on the internet.

    In a statement, she said that the commission recently held the 47th edition of its monthly Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM) in Abia, where it discussed cyber space issues.

    According to her, cyber space covers everything consumers do online or with computing devices, including mobile phones, tablets and personal computers.

    She said: “The internet touches almost all aspects of human lives. There is, therefore, need for the consumers to show interests in getting constant enlightenment and be conscious of fraudulent tendencies by some internet users while online.

    “As at February this year, there are over 114 million internet users in the country, with over 63 million of them accessing broadband services on 3G and 4G networks.

    “The need to constantly educate is further underscored by the large numbers of Nigerians online, with even more to come online.

    “The commission is intensifying efforts towards implementing its various initiatives aimed at deepening connectivity across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

    “As access to internet increases, the dimension of cyber-criminal activities is also becoming more sophisticated.”

    The NCC director urged consumers to take the skills learnt through consumer engagement programmes very seriously and apply them, in order to be safe on the cyber space.

    Mrs. Onwuegbuchulam said that the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry in 2001 led to an unprecedented growth in the usage and dependence on internet-based solutions, services and applications.

    According to her, as the internet is being used for legitimate, positive engagements, some individuals also use it for criminal activities in the cyber space.

    She, however, said that aside the continuous monthly consumer enlightenment programmes, the commission had also initiated a process to establish an Internet Industry Code of Practice for Internet Service.

    The director said: “The Internet Code is a regulatory intervention that will help to secure the country’s cyber space against imminent threats from cyber attackers.

    “It will also address such issues as online child protection, privacy and data protection, contents, among others.’’

  • We’re taking steps to tackle cybercrime, kidnapping – NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) said it has taken steps to reduce the rampant cases of cybercrime, internet fraud and other electronic frauds across the country.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta disclosed this in Kaduna on Thursday.

    He said that the Commission is also mopping up unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards across the country in a bid to reduce crimes such as kidnapping in parts of the country.

    Addressing the NCC Special Day at the 40th Kaduna International Trade Fair at the Trade Fair Complex along Kaduna – Zaria road on Thursday, Danbatta, who was represented by the NCC Head of Internal Policy Review Unit, Mr Okechukwu Aninweke, said NCC has found a solution to unsolicited text messages from networks providers, adding that customers can also through toll free line 622 call NCC to lodge complains.

    The NCC boss, who lamented rising documented cases of cybercrime and electronic fraud using telecommunications platforms, tasked all communication subscribers in the country to be rest assured that the Commission will do everything possible to address the challenge and bring it down.

    “Another challenge on the Commission’s front burner is the rising documented cases of cybercrime and e-fraud using telecommunications platforms. Cybercrime consist of illegal activities conducted on a computer or mobile device connected to the internet.

    Read Also: NCC resumes Do Not Disturb directive

    “The Commission advices all our customers not to open email that is unfamiliar and also note that banks will not request personal information over the internet. In the event that these unfortunate circumstances should take place, call your bank immediately to freeze the affected account. Secondly report to your service provider for further action to be taken in retrieving your number.

    “One of these challenges is unsolicited text messages. We have evolved a solution called Do-Not-Disturb, DND, in which consumers are being advised to send ‘STOP’ to a code ‘2442’ to stop all unsolicited text messages. There are also options that will enable you to stop particular types of messages when you send ‘Help to 2442’. We are again urging you to take advantage of this code.

    “We also urged our consumers about the availability of toll free telephone number 622 with which consumers can lodge complaints to the commission if their service providers refuse, or are unable to resolve such complaints when reported to them,” he said.

  • Cybercrime: Emergency Response Team will soon be established – NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) will soon be established, to curb cybercrime.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta made this known during the 87th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) on Monday in Lagos.

    The theme of the TCP is ”Challenges of Cybercrime: The Role of the Telecoms Service Providers”.

    Danbatta said that the provision of CERT was to ensure efficient response to security incidents within the cyberspace.

    He said that CERT was essential to monitor and deter threats that could exploit information system vulnerabilities.

    According to him, NCC must be in the forefront in ensuring that telecommunications networks are secure enough to ensure Nigerians who want to subscribe to the telecommunication services do so without any fear of their security or privacy being violated.

    ”CERT is not a team of human beings. It is a team of computers networked together, designed to checkmate incidences of cybersecurity on the telecommunications network.

    ”The lab that is going to be doing this is already set up, the equipment have been supplied, so what remains is just the configuration.

    ”The intention is to ensure that telecommunications network is secure, because in addition to all the benefits of the digital revolution, the post-Industrial Revolution we so much talk about, there is a risk dimension that results in the erosion of privacy and security,” he said.

    Danbatta said that there was the need for CERT, as the demand for high-speed internet in Nigeria, Africa and across the globe by telecommunications consumers was rapidly growing.

    He said that in today’s digital economy, the internet, and by extension broadband, was enabling people to carry out their personal and official activities in a more efficient and effective manner.

    Read also: Comply with regulations or face sanctions, NCC warns operators

    The EVC said that there were benefits and risks of the use of cyberspace and both had to be properly managed.

    He said that the telecommunications service providers operating in Nigeria would be expected, more than ever before, to strengthen their cyber-risk protection systems and architecture.

    According to him, the time has come for organisations and telecommunications service providers alike, to begin to use next-generation authentication as against the hitherto username-password authentication system.

    ”The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in a report, says the latter is vulnerable to hacking and all forms of cyber attacks.

    ”It is our belief that implementing these suggestions and more, will help telecommunications service providers and other Internet-dependent organisations in sustaining their activities in an increasingly-connected world.

    ”The suggestions will help in containing the menace of cybercrimes on their finances and reputation, on their employees and customers.

    ”The Mobile Network Operators also need to educate their consumers, regardless of their sizes and scopes of operations, and equip them with tips they need to get protected while using the internet on their networks,” he said.

    The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, Mrs Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, said that the TCP provided high-level engagement and interactions with consumers, service provider, the regulator and other stakeholders in the telecommunications industry.

    Onwuegbuchulam said that the programme has become a veritable platform for addressing critical industry challenges affecting consumers and other stakeholders in the telecommunications value-chain in Nigeria.

    She said that the day’s Telecom Consumer Parliament brought to the front burner the problem of cybercrime, which was bedeviling the industry at the moment.

    According to her, it is common knowledge that access to high-speed internet or broadband is getting more pervasive and available to Nigerians to enable them achieve more efficiency in their daily activities.

    ”However, there are individuals called cyber criminals, cyber hackers or cyber fraudsters whose stock in trade is to deploy the internet, using all manner of decoys, to defraud genuine and unsuspecting internet users.

    ”The issue of cybercrime is a global phenomenon with levels of pervasiveness differing from country to country, and from region to region.

    ”It is also more pronounced in Nigeria, as it costs individuals and organisations financial losses, among other dangers it poses to victims.

    ”It is, therefore, our concern in NCC, to see that risks associated with the usage of internet by Nigerians are addressed and mitigated too,” she said. (NAN)

  • Experts worried about cybercrime

    Experts worried about cybercrime

    Experts in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) yesterday raised the alarm over the high rate Nigerians release personal information on the internet.

    The experts said this could aid cybercrime and related criminal activities in the country.

    They expressed serious concerns at the opening of a two-day seminar on data privacy and security at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Participants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries are attending the seminar with representatives of government regulatory and other relevant agencies.

    The seminar, with the theme: Data Privacy and Protection in Africa – Developing an Evidence-driven Multi-stakeholder-based Approach, was hosted by the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP).

    The President of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mr Sunday Folayan, who led the voices of concerns, said many Nigerians are ignorant of the danger inherent in giving personal information on the internet to the level that they deliberately provide the public with detailed information about themselves, particularly on the social media and other internet-based activities.

    He said the trend had grown to a worrisome level, adding that those guilty of the practice ignore warnings and education on the problem, thereby softly frustrating experts.

    According to him, personal information, including date of birth, data on family members, residential address and personal worth, is private and should be seriously guarded.

    Folayan said personal information, for instance, on hospital patients, pupils, students and bank customers, is readily available on the waste paper released to petty traders to wrap roasted plantain, groundnuts and others.

    Instead of shredding such papers or keeping them because of the sensitivity of the information, the NIRA president noted that such organisations expose people to criminals who need such information as raw materials for their criminal activities.

    He advised stakeholders to raise awareness on the problem before it gets out of hands.

    Other speakers highlighted similar dangerous cultures in other African countries.

    A member of the Steering Committee of the African Academic Network on Internet Policy, which organised the seminar, Dr Temitope Aladesanmi, said the seminar was aimed at providing the framework for African perspective on data protection and security in the global internet community.

    He said the outcome would provide policy briefs that would be presented to government to aid policy formulation on data protection and security in African countries.

    ISGPP’s Executive Vice Chairman Dr Tunji Olaopa said the seminar was the first step at identifying research gaps in internet policy in African countries.

    He added that the seminar series would also raise the African voice within the global internet community from its current abysmally low level.

  • Cybercrime ‘threatens financial sector’

    The President, Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Segun Ajibola has described cybercrime is assuming a threatening dimension in the financial services sector.

    Speaking at the 2017 Bankers’ Dinner held in Lagos, he said CIBN has been working closely with all stakeholders to build capacity required for addressing this challenge.

    He said the most recent was the bringing together of over 50 judges of different levels of court in the country by the institute to discuss the legal implications of cybercrime. The event was the 17th Annual Seminar on Banking and Allied Matters for Judges held in 2017 – a collaborative programme with the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

    He said the CIBN remains committed to the promotion of high ethical and professional conduct among its members as the banking industry is pivotal to achieving sustainable growth and development in the country.

    “In line with this, arrangements are ongoing by the Institute to commence a certification programme on ethics which would cut across every cadre of staff in the banking industry. The Institute has developed effective template for the implementation of the Competency Framework as the sole accreditation agency for the Framework aimed at further promoting standards and competencies among practitioners,” he said.

    He disclosed that during the course of the year, CIBN collaborated with some agencies such as Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with some sister professional bodies such as Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers with a view to adding more values to the Nigerian State. The Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria continues to play a very key role in promoting professionalism across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

    “We have extended this leadership role to other West African countries. CIBN Examinations have commenced in The Gambia while we have signed MoUs with Liberia and Sierra Leone and candidates are eagerly waiting for April 2018 to commence the writing of CIBN Examinations. We will be visiting other countries soonest with a view to helping to promote sound banking practices in those countries.

     

  • Banks lose N2.19b to fraudsters in 2016, says CBN

    Banks lose N2.19b to fraudsters in 2016, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday said that Deposit Money Banks lost a total sum of N2.19bn to fraudsters in the 2016 fiscal period.
    19,531 fraud cases were reported for banks in 2016 as against 10,743 recorded in 2015, according to the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who unveiled the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum annual report in Abuja.

    It was in the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeF) NEFF stakeholders workshop on cyber-crime with the theme: Tackling Enforcement Challenges under the Cybercrime Act”,

    A breakdown of the actual amount lost showed that across the counter transactions with a total value of N511.07m accounted for the highest losses.

    This was followed by Automated Teller Machine transaction with N464.5m, internet banking N320.66m, Point-of-Sale transaction N243.32m, and mobile banking transactions N235.17m among others.

    Speaking on the theme of the workshop, Emefiele who was represented by the CBN Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said the challenges faced while enforcing the Cybercrime Act of 2015 had made it imperative for a review of the act.

    He said, “It is now about two years into the commencement of the Act, and so it is not too early to conduct a holistic review of its implementation.

    “Thus, your deliverables at this workshop should include a careful examination of the extent to which the obligations placed by the Act are fulfilled, and the general assessment of any challenges experienced in compliance with the provisions of the Act.”

    He expressed optimism that the workshop would profer the much needed solutions and making practical recommendations for the effective implementation of the Act.
    The Governor said that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) world has revolutionalized the world.

    His words: “We have all witnessed how such developments in electronic payment as the ATM, POS, Mobile Money, Internet Payment, etc. have continuously eroded the significance of physical locations for financial institutions. ICT has revolutionized the way financial services are created, offered, and delivered.

    This is why the protection of information infrastructure utilized in the delivery of financial services is considered critical all over the world, and it was because of the importance of securing infrastructures such as those of the financial sector, and protecting the underlying services from cyber-attacks that the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act was enacted in 2015.

    “As we saw recently with the Wannacry Ransomeware attack, even the most secure systems are still subject to breaches and simply protecting the network does not absolve it from attack. Another lesson from that attack is the speed with which attack once disseminated, becomes global in its spread and effect.

    As you know, in several countries, including the United Kingdom, regular banking activities were suspended temporarily as security experts were working hard to learn more about the unfolding impacts of the attack and the extent of harm to the various banking systems and networks in their country.

    “So no one is in doubt about the serious consequences of a network breach or similar cyber incident in any industry where the use of technology is the standard, such as is the case in our financial sector today. We all know that the incentive for network breach or cyber-attack in the financial sector is more compelling for obvious reasons, than other sectors”, he explained.

  • Senate raises alarm over global cyber threats

    Senate raises alarm over global cyber threats

    …Says $450m lost by Nigerian firms to attacks

    The Senate has alerted the National Security Adviser (NSA), security agencies and financial institutions to the various dimensions of cyber-attacks going on around the world.

    At its plenary on Tuesday, the Senate revealed that some Nigerian firms have lost over $450 million to cyber-attacks in about 3,500 cases.

    The security alert was issued following a motion sponsored by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai who urged concerted efforts to secure Nigeria’s cyberspace.

    According to Senator Abdulfatai, the latest in the series of the attacks were carried out on May 12, 2017.

    Consequently, the upper legislative chamber has mandated its standing committee on ICT and Cybercrime to organise a stakeholders’ conference on the matter.

    The conference will be geared toward stimulating a collective reflection among relevant stakeholders and articulating a national and broad-based approach to keeping the country ahead of the challenge.

    The senator further revealed that over 75,000 computers, in 99 countries were crippled by “ransomware” last week, which he said, rapidly spreads across the globe.

    He cited British hospitals, the Russian Government, German railways and several other big companies among those affected by the attack.

    Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the plenary, urged stakeholders to come together and find a lasting solution to the menace.

    He also warned that strategic institutions of government may equally be targeted if urgent steps were not taken by the relevant agencies to check the spread.

    “They hack into our emails every day. I am also a victim. They open social media accounts in my name and I have said it that I am not on social media.

    “The main threat is that our strategic institutions may be attacked by these hackers. All stakeholders need to come together to deal with this challenge”, Ekweremadu said.

    Addressing newsmen shortly after the plenary session, Senator Abdulfatai said cyber-attacks are taking a dangerous dimension all over the world.

    Abdulfatai said, “For instance, the Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays Bank of UK suffered 48-hour online attack from 11th to 13th of January this year, in which the criminals attempted to block about 20 million accounts.

    “They bombarded Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland with millions of fake requests designed to grind the groups’ systems to a halt and asked for a huge ransom in bit coins to end the attacks, which were being prevented by the Denial of Access (DOS) system.

    “On the 12th of May alone this year, at least 200,000 targets in over 150 countries were hit by cyber-attacks which the Internet Protocol suggested to have originated from the Middle East particularly from Syria and Iran, as well as from Kenya, supposedly using a malware known as Lazarus to compromise systems in banking and information networks, with no clear evidence yet as to how the act was perfected, and that the criminals are already targeting Nigeria.

    “Alarmed about revelations from studies that over 70% of hacking attempts so far, i.e. about 3500 cyber-attacks on the Nigeria lCT space, have been successful resulting in loss of over $450 million and that government servers are currently under serious threat”.

  • ‘Nobody has been prosecuted for cybercrime in Nigeria’

    ‘Nobody has been prosecuted for cybercrime in Nigeria’

    Olusola Teniola a computer engineer, is the Managing Director/CEO of Internet Solutions Nigeria, a pan-African information communication technology (ICT) firm. He also doubles as the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf he speaks on the resurgence of cyber crimes vis-à-vis prospects and challenges besetting the nation’s telecommunication industry. Excerpts: 

    s Nigeria seriously under any cybercrime threat and which sectors are prone to these threats?

    All sectors that have adopted IT systems into their organisations and these same systems are connected to Internet in some way are at risk of attack, whether criminal or otherwise. In Nigeria right now, there is a growing usage of IT systems in the financial, telecommunications, FMCG and aviation sectors, though other sectors not mentioned are slowly adopting computers into the way their industries are operated, the lessons from recently purported attacks by the Lazarus Group must be fundamental to how IT systems are built and adopted across all sectors. The threat of cybercrime will only increase in Nigeria as the country becomes more IT connected to the World Wide Web (WWW).

    Do you honestly consider these threats as clear and present dangers?

    The recently reported experiences of large organisations that have had their IT systems compromised by Lazarus Group in 2014 and the breach in data that occurred, mostly personal and financial, poses some serious concerns for Nigeria and can be viewed as ‘clear and present dangers’ to Nigeria’s digital journey to ensuring e-Gov, e-Commerce, e-Banking etc are safe and secure. The most revealing lessons of wide publicised cybercrimes is that personal data belonging to the citizens of a sovereign country must be preferably held locally in the country of origin and we need to build data protection infrastructure in the way and manner personal data is securely handled in our IT systems.

    As a critical stakeholder in the cyberspace, do you think the country is prepared for the present challenges and for the future?

    The country is not prepared on the skills set front, on the capacity front and frankly we run a degree of danger of national security threats to systems that have been deployed by foreign oragnisations that may use the same systems to monitor and spy on us using the very systems sold to us by them.

    Are these threats by hackers on our space unfounded or real?

    Without a strong local content presence in the Nigerian ICT industry, it is a real threat that hackers that are more knowledgeable about how systems deployed in our banking, defense and commerce applications are able to launch cyberattacks fairly easily and remotely from other sovereign states without detection and to a degree our laws and court systems need to be more prepared to fight this in a manner that has not been witnessed before.

    What are the legal framework and safety nets in place to help anyone mitigate losses against cybercrimes?

    It is my strong opinion that evidence to date suggests that Nigeria hasn’t prosecuted perpetrators of this crime and thus the legal frameworks (if any are in place) have not been rigorously tested to suggest any precedence. We are at the moment relying on technical solutions in our attempt to prevent the occurrence of such crimes. This is laudable, however, loopholes, lapses and system failures do occur and are a reality in the World Wide Web and any network that is interconnected to exchange information.

    As an association, what measures have you taken to protect the integrity of your infrastructure, especially working with clients across the sectors?

    Most of our members adopt international standards when implementing complex networks and over the past four years the association has been advocating for member organisations and other important institutions to migrate their Internet Protocol systems from Version 4.0 to Version 6.0 (i.e. IPv6). This newer version provides a great deal more protection over the current Version in place (IPv4). Also the Cybercime Bill needs to be fully implemented to the letter by all stakeholders including government entities and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) will continue to advocate that this is done in the proper manner.

    What role can the government and its agencies play in all these?

    The government needs to provide an enabling conducive environment for the training, awareness and promotion of cyber-related education, skills development and local content development across every aspect of society, in particular the infrastructure must be put in place to ensure that Nigeria’s data remains sovereign and is secured and protected from unauthorised access.

    There is so much talk about the internet of things. What opportunities does this portend to Nigeria as a country if any?

    Internet-of-Things (IoT) in Nigeria will more than likely trend behind the envisioned launches by two major operators in South Africa, who are planning IoT applications that addresses: Smart metering and Smart water. These are on the back of 4G (LTE) network roll-outs and the demand for Africa centric type Use Cases that addresses real-life African problems.

    What can be done to bridge the existing digital divide in the country?

    Investments that addresses fiber infrastructure roll-out across national, regional, and intra-country connectivity gaps. We need to build more tower infrastructure, more base stations, more spectrums (more bandwidth). This is just as there is an urgent need for more government incentives that addresses lack rural broadband penetration. There is need for more education in ICT, more local content development and more digital literacy across all demographics.

    Most countries of the world invest heavily on ICT in different sectors of the economy. But the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Does it mean that the cost benefit analysis of ICT is not so positive as manifest in the lukewarm attitude by the authorities?

    Until ICT is viewed as a critical sector in the development of our nation in this millennium, it is always going to be treated as a peripheral in the wider society. Our reliance on oil and gas as the sole foreign exchange earner is a major inhibitor in us changing our mindset. In other advanced societies, innovation, technology superiority and science are viewed as key essentials to the development of any countries, future existence – this begins right from the age of five years old.

    Besides the government, is the organised private sector also investing enough towards their ICT infrastructure?

    The private sector alone is the main contributor of investment in Nigeria. When it concerns ICT infrastructure the Federal Government of Nigeria lacks the will-power or the financial capacity to fund all ICT developments across all sectors. The private sector has invested more than USD$68bn in telecoms infrastructure alone in just over a decade. IT systems investments are also in the region of USD$50bn plus in the wider ICT space.

    Nigeria has remained a dumping ground for all junk ICT software and electronics with rippled negative effect on the economy, environmental wellbeing. What can be done to curtail this menace?

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) are the government agencies that are responsible for working with Customs and other organs of government to ensure that sub-standard products are not dumped into Nigeria. I believe that a lot more can be done by these agencies to prevent this practice from continuing.

    There’s been a lot of advocacy as to why the telecoms sector should be listed on the Stock Exchange. What’s your take on this?

    Capital funds required to grow the telecoms industry is a welcome source to the traditional manner of private equity and debt loans to fund the build out of telecommunication networks. Access to the NSE to fund further growth in this industry is encouraging and provides the Nigerian citizen a stake in the growth of this very dynamic industry. The NSE will also benefit from the diversity that these listings provide in terms of the potential increase in the daily volume of the transactions that this will bring.

    How has your leadership impacted on the Association so far?

    My leadership is one of service and to this, I set myself three top priorities to do within my first 100 days in office. They are collaborating more with all stakeholders in the industry and this has happened in the first 30 days; attended West Africa Telecom Awards in Accra and gave keynote speech – this is the first time that this has been done and the outcome is that under my leadership, ATCON will introduce industry awards in the near future to match that being performed on an annual basis in Ghana and also, we are revamping our web presence and portal, which effectively brings a total rebranding of our image. This brand identity is key to ATCON’s future in this digital age.

    Beside ATCON, you are also managing a pan-African information communication technology firm, Internet Solutions, how do you combine these roles?

    In fact, I’ve been fortunate to have a great team around me in both ATCON and Internet Solutions. They provide the necessary support for me to remain effective. With them, there’s no vacuum.

    What has been the contributions of Internet Solutions to Nigerian telecommunications system?

    Internet Solutions has been involved in providing communication services to a majority of well-known banks, government agencies and key security institutions.

    A major challenge besetting the country today is insecurity. How do you think technology can be used to tackle this menace?

    Big data is the key to solving security problems in the country. Information is the ingredient of intelligence agencies and systems (more automated) are the enabler, alongside reliable connectivity across the country that will transport information to the relevant users. All technology does is to provide an opportunity to change the way we do things and solve problems. When we embrace ‘Big Data’, we have an opportunity to address security issues in the country.

  • ‘Nigeria lost $450m to cybercrime in 2015’

    ‘Nigeria lost $450m to cybercrime in 2015’

    Nigeria lost about $450 million to cyber crime in 2015, a cyber-security expert, Ebeh Lawrence, has said.

    Ebeh stated this during the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) summit organised on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The workshop was organised by Absolute Consultancy in partnership with the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC).

    cyber crimeIn his paper titled: “The Relevance of Cyber Security to the Security Sector,” the expert said it was important for the Federal Government to develop a reliable communication backbone such as cyber security command and control centre to check upsurge of cybercrime in the country.

    He said: “Nigeria experienced a total of 3,500 cyber-attacks in 2015, leading to a loss of about $450 million.”

    Ebeh advised stakeholders to engage Information Technology experts including Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) to complement conventional security measures to safeguard the nation’s cyberspace.

    Earlier, ALPSPN National Vice President, Mrs Emilia Csaszar, described the summit as a platform to partner with other security bodies to jointly secure the country.

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  • Cybercrime costs hit $455b yearly

    Cybercrime costs hit $455b yearly

    The Chairman, Information Security Society of Africa- Nigeria (ISSAN), David Isiavwe yesterday lamented that the cost of cybercrimes across the world have now hit $455billion yearly, adding that the era of Internet of Things (IoTs) posed even greater dangers to the cyberspace.

    Speaking in Lagos during the seventh Annual Payment Systems and e-Fraud Conference organised by the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN) at the Civic Centre, he said systems must meet the three criteria of availability, integrity and confidentiality to be able to weather the storm of emerging challenges of the cyberspace.

    The forum had:Managing Fraud: People, Process and Technology as its theme.

    He said the assumption that cybercrimes could be eradicated was like living in a fool’s paradise because the gains of cybercrimes now far outweighed that of illicit narcotics.

    According to him, the situation has become terrible as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)attack kit could now be bought for as low as $5.

    He expressed worries over the dangers the era of IoTs will unleash on the society because original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) excited about the era and designing devices that will align with the era are not taking security of the devices into consideration.

    According to him, with the massive uptake of mobile devices, a single malware connected to interconnected devices and activated would do maximum damage to subscribers.