The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hacking

  • Hacking INEC server is as an act of terrorism, says Lawyer

    Dr Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer says hacking computer server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is as an act of terrorism.

    Ajulo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the provisions of cyber crime act 2015 recognised INEC sever as one of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).

    He added that such act of unlawful access to INEC sever amounted to a crime if tampered with in any way without authorisation

    According to him, based on the provision of the law, INEC server contains sensitive information about the elections which comes within the definition of CNII.

    Ajulo noted that hacking or employing any person to hack into the server of an election umpire with the aimed of interfering with the electronically transmitted data to INEC Server comes within the definition of “acts of terrorism”.

    He stated that such act was a calculated attempt to destroy the fundamental political, constitutional, economic and social structures of a country.

    ”Unauthorised access of data in any country has a lot of implications and if allowed to go unchecked may herald a regime of lawlessness within the internet community.

    “The activities of this group of people and the damage they may cause cannot be quantified.

    ” It is in recognition of the incalculable nature of the havoc which they may wreak on this nation that the cybercrime Act 2015 recommend life imprisonment as penalty for tampering with CNII of the country.

    He stated that this was because the vital information might be used to misinform as well as incite the populace against the state.

    Ajulo said that the exigency of modern innovations in the field of computer networking has made the need for data protection.

    He added that this has been the paramount concern of every country seeking to curb the inroads of persons with sinister motives into the field.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Service (DSS), accusing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of illegally accessing the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    In the petition dated March 25, and addressed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the DSS Director General, Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, urged the security agencies to question the leadership of the PDP on their claims relating to the INEC server.

    Although he was not specific on the identities of the PDP leaders he wants investigated, Keyamo made reference to the fact that the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has filed an election petition against the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and has made a claim of having access to INEC server.

    He claimed that upon the postponement of the Feb. 16, presidential/National Assembly elections, already prepared presidential election results surfaced on the Internet.

    Keyamo accused the PDP of hacking into the INEC server and inputing false figures.

    He, therefore, called on the security agencies to respond to the petition with “alacrity”.

    Responding, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, alleged that the APC was panicking because of the case instituted before the tribunal by the party and Atiku.

    He said this was why the ruling party was writing petitions to the DSS and the police.

  • Man gets six months for hacking into account

    A Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court yesterday sentenced a 28-year-old man, Ibe Chitoo, to six months’ imprisonment for hacking into the bank account of Ifeoma Nwobu and withdrawing N455, 000.

    Chitoo of Jalingo, Taraba State was convicted and sentenced for theft and cheating.

    The judge, Mohammed Marafa, however, gave the convict an option of N20, 000 fine ýand ordered him to pay N455, 000 as compensation to Nwobu.

    He said if Chitoo failed to pay the money, he would serve him additional three months in prison.

    The prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, had told the court that the complainant, Nwobu, reported the matter at Kubwa Police Station on November 24, 2017.

    He said Chitoo stole the complainant’s MTN SIM card, hacked into her First Bank account and fraudulently transferred N455, 000 from the complainant’s account sometime in 2016.

    The prosecutor said Chitto transferred the sum to various accounts without the complainant’s consent and converted same to his personal use.

    The offence contravenes sections 287 and 322 of the Penal Code.

    Counsel to the defendant, Moses Ugwummadu, however, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, saying Chitto was a first time offender.

     

  • EFCC arraigns two for hacking into Enterprise Bank’s database

    EFCC arraigns two for hacking into Enterprise Bank’s database

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned two men for allegedly attempting to hack into the database of Enterprise Bank Plc.

    The suspects are Ola Lawal, Abass Ajide while the third person Olumide Kayode was said to be at large.

    The defendants were arraigned on a four count charge  bordering on conspiracy to defraud, felony, stealing and forgery before the court presided over by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo.

    According to the prosecution, Seidu Atteh, the suspects conspired to defraud Enterprise Bank by hacking into the bank’s network with their laptop, router model and grabber/key logger to obtain the password of key operations staff through the Central Processing Unit (CPU).

    He said the defendants aimed to access the network of the bank without authority to conduct fraudulent transactions.

    Atteh alleged that the defendants wanted to access the CPU to conduct fraudulent transactions and transfer unauthorised money into other accounts.

    He also alleged that the second defendant, Ajibade forged a Certificate of National Diploma purportedly issued by The Polytechnic of Ibadan to one Ajibade Abass Rotimi with matriculation number 029511.

    He said the offences were committed on July 10, last year within Ikeja Judicial Division.

    According to him, the offences are contrary to Sections 323, 361(1)(e), and 409 and punishable under Sections 285(1) and (363)(1) of   the Criminal Laws No. 11, Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

    When the charges were read, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge.

    The court did not take their plea as Justice Lawal-Akapo ordered them to be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos pending when their application would be heard.

    He subsequently adjourned the matter till October 26, this year.

  • Two in court for hacking Kwankwaso’s GSM phone

    Two persons have been arraigned before a Kano high court, presided over by Justice Hadiza Sulieman, over alleged attempt to dupe the state Accountant- General, Alhaji Danjuma Mahamud in the name of Governor Rabiu Musa kwankwaso.

    The suspects, Kabiru Ali and Idris Umar were alleged  to have made an illegal act by pretending to be the governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, by cloning his phone number. The two were alleged to have dishonestly sent a text message to the state Accountant General and instructed him to release the sum of three million naira into a bogus account, which he obliged.

    According to the prosecution counsel, Barrister GM Bichi, the four-count charge slammed on the accused contravenes section 98 sub 2 , 324 and 325 of the penal code law.

    At  the time the charges were read out to the accused persons, they pleaded not guilty, making the prosecution to adjourn the court’s sitting to 27th, April,2015, for hearing. The presiding judge later ordered the  two to be remanded in prison custody.

    The presiding judge overruled the oral application filed by the defence counsel seeking for bail, and instructed him to file a formal application for bail.

  • Ex-editor Coulson gets 18 months for hacking

    Ex-editor Coulson gets 18 months for hacking

    Andy Coulson went from the editor’s office at Britain’s best-selling newspaper to the corridors of 10 Downing St as Prime Minister David Cameron’s communications chief. Yesterday, he went to prison for conspiring to hack phones.

    Coulson was sentenced to 18 months by a judge who told him his considerable accomplishments “now count for nothing.”

    Coulson was convicted last week after an eight-month trial triggered by a tabloid-wrongdoing scandal that led Rupert Murdoch to shut down the News of the World in 2011. Another former editor, Rebekah Brooks, and four others were acquitted.

    Judge John Saunders said  over several years, Coulson and several senior News of the World journalists listened illegally to the voicemails of celebrities, royals, politicians and crime victims in a bid to beat the competition.

    Saunders said 46-year-old Coulson “has to take the major share of the blame” for the hacking that took place, while he was editor between 2003 and 2007.

    “He knew about it. He encouraged it when he should have stopped it,” the judge said.

    The defendants have said they did not know phone hacking was illegal when they used the technique to get scoops. But the judge said they knew it was “morally wrong.”

    Saunders highlighted the now-infamous targeting of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in 2002. The News of the World listened to a voicemail left on the missing girl’s phone, and staff delayed telling police so they could try to get a huge scoop by finding her.

    “That was unforgivable,” the judge said.

    The hacking revelations outraged many Britons and triggered police inquiries that led to the arrest of scores of journalists, police officers and other officials.

    This was the first major trial to stem from the scandal, and Saunders acknowledged that “there will be those who will be outraged” that the sentences were so short — as well as those who saw the trial as an attack on press freedom.

    He said the legal maximum for phone hacking was two years in prison, regardless of the number of victims.

    Saunders said he was reducing Coulson’s sentence from the maximum to reflect his “good character” and because it had taken years for the case to come to trial.

    Coulson faces a retrial on two charges of bribing police officers for royal phone directories.

    The judge sentenced former journalists Greg Miskiw and Neville Thurlbeck to six months in prison. Another reporter, James Weatherup, received a suspended four-month sentence and community service.

    All received shorter sentences because they had pleaded guilty.

    Saunders said they and Coulson had all been “distinguished journalists” who had achieved a great deal.

  • EFCC arraigns two fraudsters for hacking Aturu’s e- mail

    EFCC arraigns two fraudsters for hacking Aturu’s e- mail

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday raised the alarm over the rising incidences of e-mail spoofing and account takeover by suspected fraudsters.

    The commission also confirmed the arrest of two suspected fraudsters who allegedly hacked into the e-mail account of a human rights activist, Bamidele Aturu.

    In a statement in Abuja by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC said many government officials are losing their accounts to fraudsters.

    The statement said: “The trend which targets influential personalities in government, the professions and the private sector has assumed a frightening dimension in recent time with not a few people losing their e-mails to the fraudsters who deploy the accounts to various nefarious ends; including soliciting funds from friends and acquaintances of the owners of the accounts.

    “The Commission observed that Yahoo account owners are the most vulnerable to this scam which has brought much agony to the victims. So far, effort to engage Yahoo to rein in the perpetrators of this heinous crime has not been fruitful. Yet their activities continue to pose grave threats to the image and integrity of the nation.

    “In view of this, the possibility of a class action suit against Yahoo by victims who have suffered severe emotional and financial losses arising from the actions of the hackers may not be ruled out.

    “Nevertheless, local banks that have cooperated with the Commission in the investigation of cases of spoofing deserve commendation for their diligence and sense of responsibility.”

    The commission confirmed the arrest of two suspects for hacking into the account of a Lagos-based human rights activist, Barrister Bamidele Aturu.

    The statement added: “Two suspects, Onuabuike Chukuebuka and Izuchukwu Emewulu, who allegedly hacked into the e-mail account of constitutional lawyer, Bamidele Aturu were on Tuesday arraigned before Justice Olasumbo Olarenwaju Goodluck of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , Zuba, Abuja on a five-count charge bordering on intent to defraud and obtain money by false pretence.

    “One of the charges reads: That you Onuabuike Chukwuebuka and Izuchukwu Emewulu and another at large, on or about the 11th day of January, 2013, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire among yourselves to obtain money by false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006”.

    “The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them. EFCC Counsel Samuel A. Ugwuegbulam then asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the accused in prison custody.

    However, counsel to the accused, George C. Anuba urged the court to admit the accused to bail on the grounds that the first accused is a sickle cell anaemia carrier and that the offence was bailable.

    “Though the bail application was opposed by EFCC counsel, Justice Goodluck, however, granted bail to the two accused in the sum of N250.000 each, one surety in like sum. The surety must be a grade level 14 officer in the civil service and resident in Abuja .

    “Chukuebuka and Emewulu’s problem started on Friday, 11 January 2013 when the duo hacked into the mailbox of Aturu, and sent messages to his friends and relatives that he was in desperate financial situation and needed N120, 000; an amount he promised to pay once he returned to Nigeria .

    “Aturu’s friends and family members however contacted him only to discover that his mailed box had been hacked into by scammers. This prompted Aturu to report the matter to the EFCC. The complainant said he never gave authorization for his email account to be used by anyone.

    “The suspect in their e-mail messages asked that the money be paid into a First Bank and Diamond bank accounts respectively. The banks were alerted and the accounts flagged. “One of the suspects, Onuabuike was arrested on Wednesday, 16 January, 2013 at Onitsha branch of Diamond bank in Anambra State when he attempted to withdraw money from the account. When interrogated by operatives of the Commission, Onuabuike claimed that the second accused collected his account number and that he did not know he wanted to use it for criminal purposes.

    “The second accused was consequently arrested the next day. The case has been adjourned to April 30.”