TECHDIGEST – A survey conducted by KnowBe4, Lynchpin and ITWeb across three countries in Africa has revealed that 32 percent of corporate organizations in Nigeria will continue with remote working on a flexible basis.

The survey, which was conducted to unpack how remote working was influencing the security paradigm for organisations, also revealed that 57 percent of organizations in South Africa and 29 percent in Kenya, will very likely continue leveraging remote working.

Tagged ‘Remote Working & Cybersecurity in Africa’, the survey digs down into the security risks and essential business considerations that should define how organisations approach remote working security across Africa.

“Remote working may have become an invaluable tool for the organisation, but it comes with a security caveat – people have to be properly trained to recognise the risks inherent in online interactions,” points out Anna Collard, SVP of Content Strategy and Evangelist for KnowBe4 Africa.

She said the immediate defences against cybercrime is an employee that has been well-trained and understands how to spot and report cyber threats, adding that people should know what a social engineering attack looks like, and why they should not click on links or open attachments.

She disclosed that companies across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa have struggled with insecure home Wi-Fi networks and people sharing their corporate devices with family and friends, arguing that the pandemic threw everyone in the deep end in 2020, and they all spent 2021 learning how to swim. Now, in 2022, it is time to redefine and reshape how the organisation manages security and remote working as effectively and dynamically as possible.

“While many respondents in the survey believed that their remote workers were adequately trained to withstand social engineering attacks, a significant percentage was unsure as to how well their people would react to a security threat. And this points to an urgent need for security training,” she noted.

People are both the problem and the solution. On one hand, they are the human firewall that can stand against the threats and play a huge role in mitigating security risks. On the other, they can be the vulnerability that bypasses the complex and expensive security by simply clicking on a link, or succumbing to a phishing attempt. Companies that are focusing on hybrid or remote working frameworks going forward will have to put training at the forefront of their policies and planning.

Ultimately, a breach could cost them financially and reputationally – particularly now, in the era of rigorous protection of personal information legislation – and poor user behaviour is a leading cause of security incidents across the three countries. While the number of security incidents experienced by companies overall dropped in 2021, those attacks that got through used phishing, social engineering, ransomware and malware. Unintentional data leaks sat in the third position in South Africa alongside credential theft, while Kenya battled with phishing and ransomware. Nigeria’s biggest problems were social engineering and phishing.

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TECHDIGEST – A recent Kaspersky Employee Wellbeing 2021 report unveils that while organisations regularly face employee data leakage, 36% of respondents from the META region prefer not to disclose these incidents publicly.

At the same time, staff may lack basic cybersecurity knowledge to protect themselves as only 38% of businesses offer IT security training.

According to the report, lack of external knowledge about potential cybersecurity incidents is not usually mitigated by internal efforts.

According to the research, only 38% of organisations have already implemented security education and training to ensure that employees are provided with crucial information.

In addition, more than seven in ten (76%) of those companies have experienced at least one issue relating to the quality of these services.

This includes dissatisfaction with the high complexity of courses and a lack of support or expertise on the part of the training provider.

Employees that had not been provided with basic knowledge about the importance of protective measures, can’t be expected to follow the rules.

In 2021, compliance of staff and dealing with insufficient end-user security culture is one of the top three biggest concerns for businesses when it comes to IT security – 38% of respondents cited it among the most alarming issues.

In practice, companies regularly face informational security infringements (50%), inappropriate IT resource use (53%), and improper sharing of data via mobile devices (50%).

Breach prevention requires concerted action by everyone who interacts with a corporate system and could be a potential target for attackers.

To better secure employees, companies should combine reliable protective measures with maintaining security awareness among their teams.

These include:

• Ensuring prompt patching and updating of software to prevent adversaries penetrating the system.
• Implementing high-grade encryption for sensitive data and enforcing strong credentials and multi-factor authentication.
• Using effective endpoint protection with threat detection and response capabilities to block access attempts, and managed protection services for efficient attack investigation and expert response.
• Minimising the number of people with access to crucial data. Breaches are more likely to occur in organisations where too many employees work with confidential and valuable information that can be sold or somehow used.
• Equipping your employees with the cybersecurity skills they need.
  There is a need for the organisation to provide education that presents all the necessary and up-to-date information in an engaging format.

To save time and receive a quality service, companies should work with globally recognised providers that can ensure an efficient learning process.

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By Kabir Abdulsalam

TECHDIGEST – No doubt, cybercrime is increasing  each day and evolving to become more complex and more formidable. As it is possible for government agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC), Nigeria Police Force, and others to have their websites hacked, private organizations are equally vulnerable.

For instance, the registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, while speaking to  journalists had disclosed that hackers had stolen over N10 million after gaining access to its site and altering the profiles of its ad hoc staff.

In 2011, cyberpunks also attacked two Nigerian government websites, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and  National Agency for Poverty Alleviation to protest against the $6 million budget for the inauguration ceremony of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Again, during ENDSARS protests in 2020, Anonymous, a popular decentralized international ‘hacktivist’ group took the side of Nigerian protesters by organizing several attacks against government accounts and handles.

As Nigerians become cyber-creatures, spending more time online, exploring more digital contents, so does cybercrime affects a huge number of organisations and individuals.

Recently, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, announced its ambitious target to achieve 95 percent digital literacy by 2030.

Kashifu, at a digital journalism workshop organised for journalists in Kano, noted that the government had put structures in place to protect the ecosystem under its strategic roadmap and action plans on cybersecurity.

He said: “Cybersecurity is one of the strategic pillars under our strategic roadmap and action plan which is more about social engineering. So, we do three things. We do a lot of awareness so that people need to know the dos and don’ts of social media. That’s what will hold them to protect confidential information.

“We have a centre called the computer emergency readiness and response centre working round the clock to make sure we proactively protect our digital space. We help MDAs, private organisations, and individuals to protect the data and information.”

He further revealed that the agency has people trying to get inside from what’s happening in the deep web and dark web all to proactively protect the country, adding that a team of professionals are also on standby to help people restore their services in case their system is compromised.

Arguably, many organizations in the world have been cyber-breached, the probability of a cyber breach happening to a regular company is increasing and the impact could be devastating.

Meanwhile, as PR practices involve in engaging damage control; the aftermath of the attacks, can lead to loss of revenue, stolen data or money, data restoration services, and many more, yet the biggest fear of a cyber breach is the damage to organizations’ brand, resulting in a loss of trust with clients, partners, employees, and stakeholders.

While PR professionals will be restless during crises, so also during internet breaches. Notwithstanding, a responsive PR  professional needs to swing into action, building strategic response quickly and confidently to make sure their messages resonate and grab the attention of the media, stakeholders, and the masses.

The good news, though, is that planning will ensure quick and confident management that will garner public and customer trust and protect the business image.

Danny Pehar, a Forbes Technology Council scholar has suggested some key phrases while responding to cyber-attacks;   Be Quick To Respond, And  Sincere, Only Report On What You Know, Know The Channels Of Communication Clearly, Offer Restoration Services.

Your audience needs to be informed on how their information may be at risk. Apologizing to them sincerely for the disruption and inconvenience while accepting responsibility takes power away from hackers and gives it to you.

Truly, to regain audience trust, you need to outline a mitigation strategy. Explain to the public what steps you are taking to ensure safety and how secure the network is to protect clients’  information.

From a PR standpoint, communicating with the public needs to be clear and simple. Avoid messages that will generate curiosity for stakeholders and the press.

Demonstrate social empathy while responding to questions as anything that can damage a company’s brand to the point of no return needs a well-thought-out PR strategy.

Kabir Abdulsalam is a Staff Writer Spokespersons Digest

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami has called for a global approach towards tackling cybercrime.

Pantami said this when he spoke at a forum of technology ministers at the future tech forum on “The future of the internet: Trends and Opportunities” in London.

This was contained in a statement by his spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Pantami said that the global approach was necessary as the need for ‘datafication’ kept increasing among global economies.

He noted that the need for a daily increase in data collection would continue to rise at a significant pace.

Quoting from research from the dawn of civilisation to the early 2000s, the minister said that only five exabytes of data were collected.

“Today, however, approximately 2.5 exabytes of data is collected within 24 hours. By implication, the amount of data generated and collected within 48 hours today is the same as that which was generated and collected over five thousand years before.

“Again, research by the International Data Corporation indicated that in the next four years, 41.6 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices could be connected and interconnected and these devices are expected to be generated around 79.6 billion petabytes of data.”

The minister said going by those figures, ‘datafication’ was on a significant rise and would continue to do so.

He stressed the need for government to prioritise the protection and judicious use of data.

“Datafication is inevitable. Therefore, we must place the same importance on cybersecurity, especially considering that a new malware is released every 4.6 seconds globally to compromise the cyberspace and inevitably, generate data.

“There is a clear indication that in the wake of the pandemic, the rate of cybercrime increased significantly due to an increased online presence.

“It is, therefore, necessary to give the same emphasis, priority and preference to the issue of cyber security.

“With cloud computing and cloud devices, national or regional regulation of data could be less relevant because as obtains in many situations, data may not be domiciled within a sovereign nation therefore border restrictions do not apply and are not respected,’’ he said.

(NAN)

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TECHDIGEST – Since the advent of the internet and the ever-expanding wave of digital transformation it continues to initiate, the concept of cybersecurity has become an integral part of our professional and personal lives.

Cybersecurity is one of the significant challenges in the contemporary world, due to its complexity, both in terms of political usage and technology.

The ever-expanding reliance on computer systems, the internet and wireless networks, the growth of smart devices, mobile phones, and the numerous devices that constitute the Internet of Things (IoT), have heightened exposure to cybercrime.
Given the increasing level of digitalisation and virtual connectivity, cybersecurity and cyber threats have become inevitable issues confronting everyone who ventures into cyberspace. Cybercriminals are exploiting the opportunity to launch cyber-attacks on individuals, organisations, and vital public infrastructure.

Cybersecurity refers to the protection of internet-connected systems, such as hardware, software, and data from cyber threats. It is used by individuals and enterprises to protect against unauthorised access to data centres and other computerised systems.

In other words, it is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks, disclosures, theft, or damage to hardware, software or electronic data.

Africa, like the rest of the world, is witnessing a rise in reports of digital threats and malicious cyber activities, because the COVID-19 crisis has forced more people to become more reliant on the internet than ever before.

With over 104 million active internet users, Nigeria holds a vast potential for the digital transformation of its economy, as it stands among the leading Information Communication Technology (ICT) markets on the continent.

The country’s digital revolution has spread rapidly into virtually every area of the economy, with a huge impact on the commerce, health, education, banking and finance, and governance sectors.

Because of this burgeoning number of Nigerians connected to the internet, the federal government recognises that cyber fraud, cyber terrorism, and other internet vices, constitute a severe threat to the security of the country’s cyberspace and digital economy.

Nigeria, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has commenced a strategic cybersecurity sensitisation campaign across seven most vulnerable sectors, on the modalities for implementation of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) 2021 with a focus on the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructures (CNII).

These sectors include telecommunications, defence and security, education, finance and capital markets, energy, professional organisations, the judiciary, and the private sector operators of the economy.

The objective of the NCPS 2021 is to strengthen cybersecurity governance and coordination, foster a trusted cyber environment that optimises Nigeria’s cybersecurity readiness and coordination capacities towards mitigating the nation’s cyber risk exposure.

To effectively deal with the dynamic nature of threats within its cyberspace, the policy identifies major cyber threats to include cyber-terrorism, cybercrime, online child abuse, election interference, online gender exploitation, and pandemic-induced cyber threats.

As a plan of action designed to improve the security and resilience of national infrastructure and services, the policy establishes a range of national objectives and priorities to be achieved within a specific timeframe.

Through the policy direction of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has shown its determination to enhance cyber security incident management and strengthen a robust regulatory framework to promote a thriving digital economy.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Pantami, has relentlessly demonstrated commitment to the promotion of issues of cybersecurity for the protection of the nation’s cyber space.

Only this week, Pantami restated the value of cybersecurity as a critical tool for developing a sustainable digital economy and providing stability to Nigeria’s economy in a lecture at the 2021 International Conference on Computing and Advances in Information Technology held at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

The NCC inaugurated its Computer Security Incidence Response Team (NCC – CSIRT) in alignment with the structure of the NCPS, to ensure continuous improvement of processes and communication frameworks that guarantee the secure and collaborative exchange of information to facilitate prompt response to cyber threats within the sector.

Overall, the CSIRT aims to address incidences of cybercrimes, protect telecoms infrastructure and encourage more players to participate in the digital economy. Its initial areas of focus are monitoring, incident management, communication, and alert and warning.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Professor Umar Danbatta, reaffirmed its avowed determination to be at the forefront of ensuring an inclusive cybersecurity culture built on people, processes, and technology, to strengthen the digital economy in Nigeria.

He also pledged that the Commission is irrevocably committed to boosting the nation’s digital economy through responsive regulations.

Danbatta spoke at the Commission’s 2021 annual cybersecurity conference, themed “Building Trust in the Digital Economy through Cybersecurity, and Sensitisation on the Implementation of the NCPS 2021”.
He noted that: “Our various cybersecurity awareness initiatives and campaigns are helping the public to understand the risks in digital space and how to reduce the vulnerabilities that adversaries can benefit from.

“Our collective resolve is to continuously boost trust and confidence in our digital economy by ensuring adherence to sound cybersecurity culture and hygiene, internally and with external partners as well as stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, the National Information Technology Development (NITDA) had earlier established its own Computer Emergency Readiness Response Team (CERRT) in 2014, in response to the increase in the rate of cybercrime and fulfillment of the requirements of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
Without doubt, the collaborative efforts of NITDA and NCC in promoting strong cybersecurity will ensure that the digital economy is sustained on trusted technologies and partnerships where public confidence, security, privacy, safety to responsive regulations, transparency, accountability, and governance dominate.

Inyene Ibanga is Editor TechDigest and writes from Wuye District, Abuja.

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TECHDIGEST – Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has reinterred value of cybersecurity in developing a sustainable digital economy and why ICT remains critical to improving the resilience of Nigeria’s economy.

While delivering the guest lecture at the 2021 International Conference on Computing and Advances in Information Technology (ICCAIT). organised by the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Pantami said the adoption and deployment of ICT has contributed significantly to economic growth and development across sectors.

“ICT drives innovation, improves quality of life, creates jobs and reduces the cost in many sectors of the economy, allowing for greater interconnection of global markets across countries. ICT has enabled the creation of new technological platforms and industries on one hand, while enhancing the efficiency and productivity of existing industries on the other. Technologies such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Robotics, 3D printing, Block Chain, Artificial Intelligence to mention a few, have the potential to act as impact amplifiers, challenging traditional approaches of going about ‘age old problems’ in sectors such as agriculture, financial services, healthcare, education, water, and energy,” said Pantami.

In his presentation titled: “ICT as an Enabler for the Digital Economy: The Nigerian Story” delivered virtually, the minister noted that the emergence, adoption and deployment of ICT has shifted the traditional economy into a digitalized one – that is the Digital Economy – and this has led to economic prosperity around the world.

Pantami reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening the digital economy and cybersecurity in the country through policy implementation, capacity building and forging relevant partnerships.

“Nigeria’s commitment to developing its digital economy is expected to open up opportunities in Africa’s digital economy, which McKinsey estimates will grow to over $300 billion by 2025,” he added.

Pantami noted the impact of the COVID-19 on enhancing digitilisation while also increasing the need for greater vigilance against the growing cyber threats. He also outlined some of the efforts of the “federal government towards improving cybersecurity in Nigeria, including the implementation of relevant policies, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria and the Revised National Digital Economy Policy for SIM Registration. The efforts towards the promotion of sectoral Computer Emergency Readiness & Response Teams (CERRTs) and the focus on Data and Privacy Protection were also discussed.”

The conference was attended by the the top management of the ABU and experts in the ICT sector, noted a statement issued by the minister’s spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted the African continent of a politically motivated cyber attacks, which are largely targeted telecoms, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Africa.

The telecom regulator, in keeping with its commitment to continuously keep stakeholders in the country’s telecoms sector informed, educated and protected, said the Iranian hacking group known as Lyceum (also known as Hexane, Siamesekitten, or Spirlin) is orchestrating cyberespionage in the African telecoms space in a politically motivated attacks oriented in cyberespionage.

According to NCC, the information about this cyber attack is contained in the latest advisory issued by the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT), which rates the probability and damage level of the new malware as high.

The advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been linked to campaigns that hit Middle Eastern oil and gas companies in the past. Now, the group appears to have expanded its focus to the technology sector. In addition, the APT is responsible for a campaign against an unnamed African government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

By the attackers’ mode of operation, Lyceum’s initial onslaught vectors include credential stuffing and brute-force attacks. So, once a victim’s system is compromised, the attackers conduct surveillance on specific targets. In that mode, Lyceum will attempt to deploy two different kinds of malware: Shark and Milan (known together as James).

Both malware are backdoors. Shark, a 32-bit executable written in C# and .NET, generates a configuration file for domain name system (DNS) tunneling or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) C2 communications; whereas Milan – a 32-bit Remote Access Trojan (RAT) retrieves data.

Both are able to communicate with the group’s command-and-control (C2) servers. The APT maintains a C2 server network that connects to the group’s backdoors, consisting of over 20 domains, including six that were previously not associated with the threat actors.

According to reports, individual accounts at companies of interest are usually targeted, and then once these accounts are breached, they are used as a springboard to launch spear-phishing attacks against high-profile executives in an organization. The report suggests that not only do these attackers seek out data on subscribers and connected third-party companies, but once compromised, threat actors or their sponsors can also use these industries to survive individuals of interest.

However, to guard against this kind of threats, the NCC wishes to re-echo ngCERT reports that multiple layers of security in addition to constant network monitoring is required by telecom companies and ISPs alike to stave off potential attacks.

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TECHDIGEST – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has confirmed that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ibrahim Pantami went through rigorous processes before his appointment as a Professor of Cybersecurity in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri(FUTO).

The FUTO chapter of ASUU said Pantami’s application scaled six hurdles before it was ratified by the Governing Council.

It clarified that external assessors were engaged to examine the Minister’s publications to earn the academic position.

The internal inquiry confirmed that due process was followed by both the Governing Council and the management of FUTO to appoint Pantami a Professor of Cybersecurity in the School of Information and Communication Technology (SICT).

The conclusions of the FUTO chapter of ASUU were contained in the report of a five-man probe panel, which was set up by the union.

The investigation was commissioned by the Congress of FUTO chapter of ASUU at its session on September 22nd, 2021.

Members of the committee were (i) Engr. Prof. M. S. Nwakaudu (Chairman); (ii) Prof. G.A. Anyanwu; (iii) Prof. C. E. Orji; (iv) Prof. Mrs. O.P. Onyewuchi; and (v) Prof.T. I. N. Ezejiofor (Member/Secretary).
According to a document, Pantami’s appointment was not a shelf job.

The panel listed the procedures adopted to make Pantami a professor as follows:
* Copies of advertisement for Academic and Academic Support Staff Vacancies in FUTO for the positions of Professor, Reader, Senior Lecturer, etc., which appeared in the DAILY SUN and THE GUARDIAN of Monday, September 21, 2020 and Tuesday, September 22, 2020 respectively.
*Federal Universities of Technology Act, CAP F23 (Section 11, 1-6, and Section 18, 1-2).
* Students’ Handbook of the Cyber security Department.
*Guidelines for the appointment and Promotion of Academic Staff for 2020/2021 Appraisal Year.
*Submission of publications and productive works for both internal and external assessments.
*Consideration by Academic Staff Appraisal and Promotion Committee- Professorial (ASAPC-Professorial) meeting held on 17th March, 2021.
*Confirmation of Pantami as a Professor by FUTO Governing Council
The report said the panel interacted with some vital stakeholders including the University Registrar; the immediate Past Chairman, Committee of Deans; the Dean, School of Information and Communication Technology (SICT); some Deans of Schools who were members of ASAPC-Professional during the 2020/2021 Appraisal Year; some Internal Members of the last FUTO Governing Council and the Acting Head, Cybersecurity Department.

The report gave insights into how Pantami was appointed by the university.
The report added: “FUTO in her quest to be counted in the modem trends in the fields of science, engineering, technology, etc, decided to establish new programmes such as Forensic Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Cybersecurity, Radiography and Radiation Science, etc.

” FUTO advertised for vacancies in Academic and Academic Support Staff in six Schools (namely SICT, SESET, SOES, SOHT, SBMS and SOBS) and 23 Departments including Cybersecurity

” Vacancies advertised in the Academic Departments (including Cyber Security Department) are for Professor, Reader, Senior Lecturer, etc

” The advertisement appeared in the two National Newspapers (THE SUN and THE GUARDIAN) and interested candidates were invited to apply for the position to which they are qualified.

“Dr.Isa Ibrahim responded and applied for the post of Professor of Cybersecurity. He was given a Temporary Appointment as Professor of Cybersecurity in the Cybersecurity Department, for which he accepted in writing.

” Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s qualifications include BSc, MSc in Computer Science and MBA all from ATBU, PhD in Computer Information System from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. He is a Fellow and member of some foreign Computer Science professional societies.

“Dr. Isa Ibrahim was requested to submit details of his publications and productive works for both internal and external assessments. He complied with the request.

” Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s publications and productive works were sent to the Dean of SICT for internal assessment for the purpose of establishment of Prima facie case for the Professorial Appointment.

” The Dean of SICT assessed the publications and productive works using the FUTO Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion and established a prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim for him to be appointed a Professor of Cybersecurity.

” The prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim was presented to the Academic Staff Appraisal and Promotion Committee- Professorial (ASAPC-Professorial) meeting held on 17th March, 2021. The Committee discussed the issue and recommended same for approval by the FUTO Council.

“The Council at its meeting held on the 18th of March, 2021 approved the prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim to be appointed a Professor of Cybersecurity.

” Following the approval of the prima facie case, Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s publications and productive works were sent for external assessment.

” The external assessment returned positive and the Council at its meeting of 20th August, 2021 approved his appointment as a Professor of Cybersecurity.

” Dr. Isa Ibrahim was given a tenure appointment as a Professor of Cybersecurity following his appointment by the FUTO Governing Council.

“Dr. Isa Ibrahim has assumed duties and is currently involved in the teaching of CYB 201 (Fundamentals of Cyber Security), via online and a lead Supervisor of one PhD Student/Staff of Cybersecurity Department.”

Apart from confirming that Pantami’s appointment followed due process, the panel insisted
recommended legal action against those who had allegedly tried to tarnish the image of FUTO.
The report said:” From our findings and evidence before the panel, members are of the opinion that the appointment of Dr. Isa Ibrahim as a Professor of Cybersecurity by the FUTO Governing Council followed due process.

” The panel strongly recommends that the university management should as a matter of urgency take appropriate actions, including legal action, against those who deliberately try to drag the image and reputation of FUTO to the mud.”

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TECHDIGEST – The Federal Government has renewed its plans to safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy from cybercrimes, while building more trust among strategic stakeholders in the country.

The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Danbatta, made this known at the 2021 annual Cybersecurity Conference, on Wednesday, in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was organised in conjunction with the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA), for strategic stakeholders to discuss Cybersecurity issues.

The theme of the conference is: ”Building trust in the digital economy through cybersecurity and sensitisation on the Implementation of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) 2021’’.

Mr Danbatta, who was represented by Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, said that the Commission was interested in issues that would enhance, protect and boost Nigeria’s digital economy.

According to him, trust and confidentiality will promote a healthy digital environment, as enshrined in global best practices to guarantee the privacy and integrity of digital data.

He said the digital economy should be built on trusted technologies and partnerships, to ensure strong cybersecurity that rides on public confidence, security, privacy and safety, to bolster responsive regulations, transparency, accountability and digital governance.

He said that the pace at which technology advanced, acceleration of innovations and enterprise in the digital space amplified vulnerability opportunities, which malicious parties were quick to exploit, thereby slowing down the gains of digital economy.

Mr Danbatta also said that a strong cybersecurity would reduce the surface of vulnerabilities in the digital economy that could be exploited.

The NCC Executive vice chairman called on all cybersecurity stakeholders to key into the NCPS, 2021, to accelerate the adoption of its various components, citing it as a collective responsibility since no single government, business or individual was immune or could do it alone.

“NCC is in the forefront of ensuring a sound cybersecurity culture that is built on people, process and technology.

“The launching of NCC’s sectoral CERT is a testament of our resolve to promote a healthy digital environment.

“Our various cybersecurity awareness initiatives and campaigns are helping the public understand the risks in the digital space and how to reduce the vulnerability opportunities that adversaries can benefit from.

“Our collective resolve is to continuously boost trust and confidence in our digital economy, by ensuring adherence to sound cybersecurity culture and hygiene, internally and with external partners, as well as other stakeholders.

Samad Akesode, Director of communications at ONSA, who spoke on strengthening the country’s security, told the participants that the office was building stronger collaboration with major actors in the security sector to guide the digital economy in Nigeria and beyond.

Mr Akesode said that several workshops being organised were in line with the vision of the present administration to ensure that the issue of security was taken more seriously at all levels. (NAN)

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TECHDIGEST – With the advent of artificial intelligence, automated vehicles and drones amongst many other hi-tech innovations in fighting war, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE has said that the use of technology in combating insecurity in the country can never be overemphasized.

The DG made this known when he played host to the Rector of the Nigerian Army College of Environmental Science and Technology (NACEST) Makurdi, at the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The DG said, “It is important to know how to use technology not just as an enabler but as a strategic design for your strategy in general which will inspire you to do more”.

“NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024) is built on seven pillars with their respective goals and objectives, which are; Developmental Regulations, Digital Literacy and Skills, Digital Transformation, Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity, Emerging Technologies, and Promotion of Indigenous Content,” he added.

Abdullahi noted that the Agency’s focus is improving how things are being done using technology and innovation by creating an enabling environment and an innovation ecosystem that will allow a smooth digitized process, adding that the Agency is ready to collaborate with NACEST to deploy technologies to combat and proffer solutions to the country’s rising issue of insecurity.
He averred that innovation does not happen in isolation but rather, with proper alignment and positioning in a relevant ecosystem which necessitates the proposed collaboration between the two parties, adding that there is cross pollination between ICT and the Nigerian Army College of Environmental Sciences and Technology (NACEST).

“The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, a subsidiary of the Agency is fostering the development of emerging technologies in preparing Nigeria for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which NACEST can partner in research, development of technologies like drones, robotics, Artificial Intelligence etc as a veritable tool in combating National insecurity,” he elucidated.

The Rector Nigerian Army College of Environmental Science and Technology (NACEST) Makurdi, Brigadier General Yahaya Abdulhamid in his remark noted that the school is one of the Polytechnics that run Diploma Programme in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

He said the College is regulated by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), a National body mandated with the responsibility to ensure the quality of all Diploma certificated programmes in Nigeria.

He further disclosed that the school employs the Information Communications Technology (ICT) in the Computer Engineering laboratory, Computer Science Laboratory, E-Library, ICT centre, Management Information System (MIS), editing and Advertising Laboratory, Resource centre, Television and Radio Studios among others.

“We cannot have the best in what we are doing until we link our activities, operations and processes to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which will provide us a path way towards achieving our goals and objectives, which everything we do technology drives in achieving it.”

“Nigerian Army College of Environmental Sciences and Technology is diverting from the theoretical process and focusing more on the practical aspects to enable us provide solutions to our problems, he stated.

Abdulhamid commended NITDA for the various IT interventions deployed across the country towards the growth and development of IT which plays a critical role for the advancement of the country and also towards National security.

By PRNigeria

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