The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cybercrime

  • U.S. envoy: Cooperation vital to fighting cybercrime

    20 million Nigerians risk digital exclusion to tax

    About 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population (some 20 million people) risks being denied access to the benefits of the gains of information communications technology (ICT) if the National Assembly goes ahead to pass the  Communication Service Tax (CST) Bill pending before it.

    Similarly, the 30 per cent broadband penetration of Federal Government target for 2018 in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) would remain wishful thinking and rubbish all the gains made by the country in its digitilisation strive, telcos, acting under the aegis of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) have warned.

    Its President, Olushola Teniola, who spoke during a presentation to the Senate in Abuja, said ongoing work on the proposed nine per cent CST Bill is a trending subject, adding that group would be happy to support government to make the best of our tax efforts which certainly are key components of strengthening the economy and sustaining the telecoms industry.

    He said: “Contrary to uninformed opinions, we do not object to reforms in taxation neither do we regard taxes as burden.

    “But the projections are that a new tax on ICT services as high as nine per cent that is being proposed would result in excluding 10 per cent of the population, that is talking of about 20 million Nigerians from access. Whereas the survival of our economy is on attracting more citizens into access to internet and therefore ICT services, it does not add up if whatever we do ends up not bringing more people into access.

    “The reality of internet access in Nigeria is that it’s all about mobile. Only about 13 per cent of Nigerians get broadband access via mobile while less than one per cent does from fixed services.

    “One of the main reasons the rate of internet adoption and use is rather slow in Nigeria is the high cost of data subscription.”

    Teniola lamented that a 500megabyte (MB) plan costs typically 5.4 per cent of average monthly income, adding that the current definition of affordability used by the United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission is where the price of a broadband plan is less than five per cent of average monthly income and if this definition is applied to the country, it is certainly on ‘the cusp of affordability’.

    “In Nigeria the average income in 2014 was $2970 (GNI per capita, source: World Bank), 40 per cent of the population actually earned less than half that amount. In practice this means that a 500MB mobile internet plan priced at 5.4 per cent of average monthly income actually costs the majority of Nigerians anywhere between seven and 18 per cent of monthly income.

    “In 2013, we planned to achieve 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018. Current access figure is clearly some way off this target and needs measures to boost growth in usage. A sharp rise in tax as being proposed in the CST Bill will achieve the exact opposite of our desire. We ask for a reconsideration of the CST Bill.

    “We recommend, as an alternative, a tax reform that increases the current VAT by a new one per cent added for the purpose of development of communications. Another alternative is that the tax being proposed in the Bill be limited to 0.2 per cent,” Teniola told the lawmakers.

    He said the group agrees that there is severe pressure at these times and government revenue cannot be different. “We however pray that the template with which the telecom industry is viewed and assessed be slightly modified. The truth is that there is severe over taxation in our industry. It explains the slow penetration of services into unserved areas of the country. The truth again sir is that contrary to popular belief telecommunication operators and service providers are barely sustaining existence in these times,” he added.

    “There are reasons to suggest that the desire to widen the tax net is laudable and that as things stand telecoms is about one of the few areas where the net-capture may be widened, we therefore suggest that an increase in VAT tax which is already included in all services of telecoms by an increase that is not beyond one per cent should be a good reform strategy,” he added.

  • U.S. envoy: Cooperation vital to fight cybercrime

    •WhatsApp, others tool for cybercrooks, say Police

    The Consul-General, United States Embassy in Lagos, F. John Bray, has identified global cooperation and information sharing as key elements in the fight against cybercriminals across the world.

    The envoy, who spoke during the Cybersecurity Awareness forum organised by the U.S. embassy in Lagos at the weekend, warned that without good cybersecurity in place, experts estimate that nearly half of the entire G-20 economy will be lost to cybercriminals.

    He lamented that every year billions of dollars are lost through cybercrimes globally, adding that Cybersecurity Ventures has predicted that the global community will lose more than $6 trillion annually by 2021.

    He said: “I believe many of you would agree cybersecurity is an important issue. With the number of internet users growing daily, law enforcement officials expect the number of victims to increase as well as the value of their losses.

    “All around the globe we have seen individuals, companies, and governments become the victims of cyberattacks.

    “The Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to increase the amount of crimes we see.

    “IoT is the technology used in Bluetooth and WiFi devices in homes (‘to connect’ refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves). These devices can be hacked and used in a malicious manner to cause serious harm.

    “Cyber awareness is therefore everyone’s responsibility; international cooperation and information sharing are keys to the successful mitigation of cyber-attacks.”

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has warned members of the public to be wary about the information they share with strangers on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and others, adding that cybercrooks have now taken their nefarious games to these platforms.

    Lagos Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus a Superintendent of Police, who spoke on the occasion, said the volume of cybercrimes committed via phishing, social engineering, spear phishing, malware, cyberbullying, identity theft and ransomware could no longer be compared with crimes committed through the various social media platforms.

    According to her, the male criminals’ modus operandi is by opening an account on social media platforms with the image of a very pretty girl in need of a spouse. The unsuspecting man out there falls for the bait and money starts to flow.

    She said the NPF is equal to the task of dealing decisively with the criminals, adding that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, has intensified efforts in this regard as he has committed to training and retraining officers and men of the force to counter the menace of criminals marauding in the cyberspace.

    Bray said worried by this development, President Obama, in 2009 called for an increase in education and dialogue about cybersecurity in the Cyberspace Security Review.

    “As part of this policy review, Bray said, the Department of Homeland Security created an ongoing cybersecurity awareness campaign, Stop.Think.Connect, a national public awareness campaign designed to raise awareness of cybersecurity and to be more vigilant about practicing safe online habits.

    “By joining the Stop.Think.Connect campaign you will have connections to partners and subject matter experts who are committed to increasing online safety; cybersecurity tips, messaging, articles, and presentations; monthly discussions highlighting current cyber issues and trends People are spending more time online – at home and at work — than ever before.

    “Our growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber-attacks and risks to our privacy, demands greater security in our online world,” he said, stressing that  by adopting and joining the campaign, people will better understand the risks that come with using the internet and the importance of practising safe online behaviour.

  • Nigeria loses N127b yearly to cybercrime

    Nigeria loses N127b yearly to cybercrime

    • IGP: ‘cybercrooks’ activities worrisome’

    Nigeria loses N127billion to cybercrimes yearly, an expert with the Department for International Development (DFID) Prof. Olu Ogunshakin, said yesterday in Abuja.

    Speaking at a workshop on Cybercrime and Forensic Investigation, Ogunshakin who represented the DFID, said the impact of cybercrime on the ecobnomy was monumental.

    Ogunsakin said: “The impact of cybercrime on Nigeria is so vast that annually, we lose about N127billion to criminals that use the internet to sabotage the economy. I think this will continue to rise until the government and security agencies come together to find a way to curb the menace.

    “We should make sure that the public is quite aware of the impact of cybercrime because it is something that is borderless and it affects everybody and somebody irrespective of location.

    “This crime is borderless and it is something that affects the economy especially the infrastructure that we are trying to develop and in turn it affects everything.”

    He said Nigeria can curb the menace if it develops cyber technique on how to eradicate the growing menace, adding that there is need to collaborate with countries that have strategies.

    “All over the world, you will also realise that a lot of countries are suffering from it; so we need to collaborate with people because as of now, we do not have a national strategy on how to deal with this crime and we need to start from somewhere,” he said.

    Also speaking, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris said the Force was also worried about the spate of the crime.

    Represented by AIG Umaru Shehu, Idris said: “The criminals are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of the loopholes in the new cyber technology. They devote more energy and resources into committing national and international crime that are difficult to prevent and detect.

    “These criminals are well organised and are willing to invest in modern technology so that they can commit identity theft and privacy invasion, fraudulent electronic transaction, cause havoc through insertion of computer virus and malware infections in personal and corporate computers to get upper hand or blackmail and distributed denial of service attack.

    “More worrisome, is the radicalisation and violent extremism, terrorism perpetrated through cyberspace, website hacking and defacement.

    “Compared to traditional crime where criminals can rob one or two banks in a day, ICT has made it possible to rob hundreds of banks in less than an hour, while the perpetrators sit comfortably in their homes or offices.”

  • Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cybercrime

    Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cybercrime

    Nigeria loses N127billion to cybercrime annually, it was learnt Monday.

    An expert has also expressed fear that Nigeria may lose more if the government and security agencies fail to draft out strategies to tackle the menace.

    Speaking in Abuja on Monday during a workshop on Cybercrime and Forensic Investigation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris noted that the Force is worried with the spate of the crime.

    The IGP who was represented by AIG Umaru Shehu said: “The criminals are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of the loopholes in the new cyber technology. They devote more energy and resources into committing national and international crime that are difficult to prevent and detect.

    On how they operate, he said: “It should be noted that, these criminals are well organized and are willing to invest in modern technology so that they can commit identity theft and privacy invasion, fraudulent electronic transaction, cause havoc through insertion of computer virus and malware infections in personal and corporate computers to get upper hand or blackmail and distributed denial of service attack.

    “More worrisome, is the radicalization and violent extremism, terrorism perpetrated through cyberspace, website hacking and defacement.

    Commeneting of some of the impacts of the crime, the Police chief said: “Compared to traditional crime where criminals can rob one or two banks in a day, ICT has made it possible to rob hundreds of banks in less than an hour, while the perpetrators seats comfortably in their homes or offices.

    He however assured that the Force is building on existing forensic and cybercrime facilities in order to successfully tackle the crime.

    Also speaking on the impact of cybercrime, the representative of Department for International Development (DFID) Prof. Olu Ogunsakin said: “the impact of cybercrime on Nigeria is so vast that annually, we lose about N127billion to criminals that use the internet to sabotage the economy and in essence, I think this will continue to rise until the government and security agencies come together to find a way to curb the menace.

    “We should make sure that the public is quite aware of the impact of cybercrime because it is something that is borderless and it affects everybody and somebody irrespective of location.

    “This crime is borderless and it is something that affects the economy especially the infrastructure that we are trying to doing and in turn it affects everything.

    Prof Ogunsakin while stating that Nigeria can curb the menace if it develops cyber technique on how to eradicate the growing menace added that there is need to collaborate with countries that have strategies.

    “All over the world, you will also realize that a lot of countries are suffering from it, so we need to collaborate with people because as of now, we do not have a national strategy on how to deal with this crime and we need to start from somewhere”.

  • IGP decries ‘alarming rate’ of cybercrime

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has described as alarming the rate of cybercrime in Nigeria.

    The IGP also attributed the increasing trend of cybercrime to greed.

    He spoke during Interpol Cybercrime Training for Practitioner Investigators from African Countries held in Abuja on Monday.

    To curb the increasing trend and outsmart the perpetrators, Idris noted that he has established a Cybercrime Unit within the Interpol National Central Bureau in Nigeria that will tackle the challenges of cybercrime down to local government level.

    He also disclosed that efforts are being put in place to equip the unit with the tools and techniques to boost its capacities in fields such as IP crime enquiries, identity fraud, online tracking of suspects, electronic crime scene investigation and the forensic examination of computers, computer networks and mobile devices.

    Speaking on the cybercrime and essence of training, the IGP, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation, Hycent Dagala, said “investigating offences in the cyberspace has assumed a major policing requirement in Nigeria and I guess other jurisdictions across Africa.

    “Cybercriminals have enjoyed a long start ahead of law enforcement agents and inflicted serious injuries on the citizens we are sworn to protect. While we continue to grapple with traditional methods of policing, emerging trends in crime now deploy new skills and technologies. We must in turn, therefore, develop new ways and methods to adapt to current challenges.”

     

  • Cybercrime: Police to equip Interpol unit

    Cybercrime: Police to equip Interpol unit

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Monday, said efforts were being made to equip the International Police (INTERPOL) unit with what it takes for a better service delivery.

    Idris made this disclosure at the INTERPOL Cybercrime training for Practitioner Investigators from African countries in Abuja on Monday.

    He was represented by Mr Hyacinth Dagala, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.

    The I-G said the training was critical to boosting capacities in the fields of IP crime enquiries, identity fraud, online tracking of suspects, electronic crime scene investigation, among others.

    Idris said that because of the international nature of most cybercrime offences, the police had set up and deployed a dedicated high-tech and cybercrime unit in the INTERPOL in Nigeria.

    In the future, he said the experienced members of the unit would be deployed in the state police commands, where the cybercrime offences were prevalent.

    Idris said that the police had established and maintained a high-tech criminal information system to enable the police to cooperate with other internal law enforcement agencies.

    The police chief urged the participants to avail themselves of the opportunities that the training presented.

    Earlier, the Head of INTERPOL, National Central Bureau, CP Olusshola Subair, said investigating offences in the cyberspace had assumed a major policing requirement in Nigeria and Africa in general.

    “Cyber criminals have enjoyed a long start ahead of law enforcement and inflicted serious injuries on citizens we have sworn to protect.

    “We must in turn develop new ways and methods to adapt to current challenges,” he said.

    He assured that the capacities of the Nigeria Police would soon assume more effective and efficient level.

    In a remark, Mr Wei Tee, the Acting Head of Training unit, Digital Investigating Support-Cybercrime Directorate, Singapore, urged the trainees to come up with good strategies to combat cyber-crime.

    He said that no country could fight cybercrime, which was a transnational crime, without the collaboration of other countries.

    “There is no one country that can fight against this crime by itself, so we encourage all countries to come together,” he said.

    Tee noted that the crime was an uprising trend globally.

    In attendance, were participants from South Sudan, Zambia, Cameroun, Guinea Bissau and Nigeria.

     

  • Nigeria loses 127 billion yearly to Cybercrime, says Minister

    Nigeria loses 127 billion yearly to Cybercrime, says Minister

    The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu said Tuesday that Nigeria is losing about 127 billion naira annually to cybercrime and urged stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology, ICT, industry to rise up to the challenge.

    He also the Ministry in collaboration with the military is poised to use modern technology to fight insurgency, corruption and other crimes that pose a threat to Nigeria’s unity.

    He spoke while declaring open the 26th edition of the National Conference of the Computer Society of Nigeria holding at NAF Centre, Abuja.

    He told the gathering that all hands must be on the deck to face the challenges confronting the nation with the deployment of ICT, stressing that the theme of this year’s conference was more apt as “no nation can develop without safety and security.”

    He said: “national safety and security further encompasses securing the nation’s cyber space. Our growing dependence on digital infrastructure introduces and poses grave threats to national security. It is quite shocking that Nigeria loses about N127 billion which is 0.08 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), yearly to cybercrime”.

    He said further “Without safety and security, growth is impossible. “Information Technology for National Safety and Security”, the Conference theme, is highly relevant as it aligns with the National safety and security priority of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Securing lives and properties is both an enabler and an imperative for growth and development. Threats emanate from local and global terrorism which strikes fear and shatters the much needed national peace and security.

    “Nobody, no organization can perform optimally under a cloud of fear. Uncertainties and raised anxieties strain our economy and society. We must however acknowledge successes recorded so far in the fight to keep Nigeria secure.

    “It is appropriate that the efforts of the armed forces and the significant achievements in the fight against Boko Haram are recognized. Though the Nigerian Army is already using some technology platforms, there may be some requiring close attention by the conference.  The Ministry is also engaging with the Nigerian Army on possible technology collaboration to tackle the activities of insurgents and other security challenges in the country.

    “Beyond military might, financial crimes and corruption are added burden to the national security challenges that threaten the very existence and development of the nation. In Public finance, the electronic platforms used by the Nigerian government such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have resulted in significant savings and elimination of waste in governance.

    “Though great strides have been made in these areas, there is still a lot to do to secure our dear nation. We all know that ICT is the globally recognized enabler in all spheres of development and it is most appropriate for NCS to step in by offering the nation an authentic platform to explore the role of ICT in national safety and security. Using ICT and Geographical Information System (GIS) to tackle Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy and other security challenges with enhanced efficiency and professionalism has become a matter of paramount importance. ”

    “As at today, ICT is currently contributing up to 10 percent of Nigeria’s GDP and had created over 10 million jobs in the past 10 years. Developments in the ICT sector have provided well over $32 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the last 15 years. It is indeed one of the fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy which is the second largest ICT market in Africa.  The number of Internet subscribers in Nigeria also rose from less than one million in 2003 to over 80 million in November 2015,” the Minister added.

    In his remarks, the President of the Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Sola Aderounmu noted that more pro-active steps are needed to drive the ICT industry in the country considering the enormous challenge facing the nation.

    He said the theme of this year’s conference, Information Technology for National Safety and Security, was carefully chosen to enable stakeholders brainstorm on issues that would bring about speedy growth and development of the ICT industry.

    Prof Aderounmu commended all the past presidents of the association for their contributions to the development of the country and the organization, adding that a number of activities have been lined up during the conference to honour them.

  • Group urges senate to legislate against cybercrime

    Group urges senate to legislate against cybercrime

    THE Chairman of Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, has been urged to get his colleagues to come up with legislation to curb cybercrime in the country.

    The United Forum for Osun Youth said cybercrime has become a menace that has placed the country on the economic blacklist of several nations.

    The group also congratulated Buhari who is representing Oyo North senatorial district on his birthday. In a statement by the publicity secretary Saka Kikelomo, they lauded the senator for standing by the decision of his party APC in the leadership tussle of the National Assembly.

     

  • How to make cybercrime law effective

    How to make cybercrime law effective

    A lawyer, Mr Basil Udotai, has called for a central prosecuting agency to enforce the Cyber Crime Act of 2015 effectively.

    He said a provision in the Act which empowers nearly all agencies with prosecutorial powers to enforce the law may make its implementation less effective.

    Udotai, who is the Managing Partner at Technology Advisors, a law firm with specialisation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) law practice, spoke with journalists in Lagos at a seminar by the Financial Services Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he was a guest speaker.

    The lawyer said an existing security agency, such as the police, could be equipped to set up a dedicated cybercrime and cyber security unit for effective enforcement because of the cost involved in having multiple units.

    According to him, a special entity can also be created by regulation, which the Act allows, to enforce the Act.

    “It will be legal if the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) adopts a regulation under the Act and creates a special dedicated unit to tackle cybercrime. Part of the reason that should be the way to go is because the resources to set up a cyber crime investigative environment are very high.

    “I don’t think government thought about this properly, because where will you get the money with falling oil prices? It costs millions of dollars to set up cybercrime investigation systems and to replicate it across all law enforcement agencies. It doesn’t make any kind of sense,” he said.

    Udotai, who is the immediate past Director of Cybersecurity and pioneer Head of the Directorate for Cybersecurity, Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), said the Act will need a review in the future.

    “In the long run, the law needs to be amended. The law is already in force. I guess part of the reason the law is not so overwhelmingly enforced now is because there is really no single entity that is giving the leadership. When there are several law enforcement agencies, who is the boss? So there is a terrible oversight. Nobody knows who to go to,” he said.

    In his paper, Udotai criticised the law as it relates to the financial services sector, saying technology laws are supposed to be technology-neutral, not technology-specific. He added that Cybercrime laws are supposed to be generic in provisions, not particular, as is the case.

    He said all provisions specific to technologies and particular to processes in the financial sector can be removed from the Act, without any impact on the substance of the law; adding that leaving those provisions intact is guaranteed to cause severe harm to the sector – especially banks and payment services providers.

    Besides, he said the law challenges the regulatory integrity of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the CBN Act by criminalising certain internal procedures of the banking system, thereby creating “chilling effect” on investments in creative and innovative solutions in the sector.

    Udotai, who served as Coordinator of the Nigerian Cybercrime Working Group (NCWG) for two years, urged financial services players to petition the President on the provisions they consider onerous and which can affect their transactional and compliance burden.

    “The Cybercrime Act though long in coming and beset with major challenging components, may be applied to effectively tackle cybercrime and cybersecurity issues in the country. However, the chances of this happening naturally are slim to zero.

    “Thus, deliberate efforts must be made by the key players – Office of the NSA and the Office of the AGF, working with stakeholders, to strategically position this law to take us to this highly desirable end.

    “Those efforts must aim, amongst others, in seeking to – in the short run: create a single enforcement authority; prevent the enforcement of technology specific and industry particular provisions (financial sector mostly); while proposing a comprehensive amendment in collaboration with the National Assembly,” Udotai said.

     

     

  • Cybercrime Prohibition Act ’ll check e-fraud, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said the passage of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act will help  curb the activities of electronic fraud perpetrators in the country.

    Speaking at the Nigeria Economic Fraud Forum (NeFF) held in Lagos at the weekend, CBN Director, Banking and Payment System Unit, ‘Dipo Fatokun, said the passage of the Act gives the apex bank legal backing for fighting fraudsters including fraudulent bankers.

    He said: “I will give an assurance to the industry that we now have legal backing to fight fraud. The Cybercrime Prohibition Act signed into law this year, is actually a very strong force that will help us in combating electronic fraud. Those things that were allowed in the past, have become criminal offences. It is a deterrent to those that would want to carry out fraud”.

    He said the CBN has instructed banks to forward the names of their staff dismissed for fraud to the CBN, which ensures that such persons do not return to the sector. “We are concentrating on consumer education, encouraging banks to educate their customers on how not to fall victim to e-fraud,” he said.

    He said Nigerian information technology policy clearly states the nation’s commitment to protection of individual privacy as well as data protection. This has led to the passing of the Cybercrime Bill, 2013 which was passed into law in October 2014.

    The Act aims at protecting National Information Infrastructure and has laid down penalties for its violation. Its objectives relate to the provision of an effective and unified legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of cybercrimes in Nigeria.