The Cyber
Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has decried that the nation
just sleepwalked into 2018, predicting that cybersecurity threats actors will
increase this year, reports ITRealms.
The National
President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon made this prediction in the 2018 forecast
made available to ITRealms, saying
that Nigeria sleepwalked into 2018 in spite of inadequate cybersecurity
strategy and safeguards.
He also told ITRealms that in 2017, for instance,
CSEAN had advocated for the implementation of the existing national cybersecurity
strategy, unfortunately till date, nothing has been done.
Noting that in
April 2016, the Federal Government (FG) inaugurated a 31-man cybercrime
advisory council, “nothing has really changed as we are yet to feel any impact
of the council, and therefore one can safely conclude that it was another tick
box exercise by the government.” Decrying that while Nigerian government and
organisations were asleep, “the bad guys are having a field day in cybercrime
escapades.”
The year 2017,
he said, went down as a year of unprecedented cyber-attacks globally; “From
wannacry ransomware to Equifax breach, 2017 undoubtedly had its fair share of
cyber-attacks.”
Afon maintained
that given the scope of cyber threats Nigeria faces as a nation, it becomes
imperative to highlights the most prominent cyber security threats to expect in
2018.
“Phishing attack
has become the most prominent cyber threats in Nigeria and will continue to
remain so. Cyber criminals will continue to target unsuspecting internet users.
The 419 criminal gangs in Nigeria have advanced in tactics and skills with the
use of internet to perpetrate their crime. Today, these groups of Nigerian
hackers, popularly known as "yahoo
boys," "waya waya" or "G-work" are now using clever
spear-phishing emails to trick victims into installing keyloggers and Remote Access Trojans (RAT). It is a mockery of our society
that some popular artists even released albums to the praise of these cyber
criminals with impunity.
Nigeria’s growth
in tech adoption and rising economy make it a target for cyber-threats from
within and outside the country. In 2018, Nigeria will emerge as a new focus
area for cyber threats – both targeting organisations based in the country and
attacks originating from within. This would lead to billions of Naira in lost revenue
for businesses as well as affected individuals put together. The above factors coupled with Nigeria’s
increasing number of local residents’ threat actors; makes it one of the
countries with the largest potential for net-new impactful
cyber events in 2018.
“In 2017, we
have seen ransomware wreak havoc across the globe with both WannaCry and
NotPetya hitting the headlines. Although Nigeria was not badly hit in 2017, it
is unlikely we will be able to say the same thing in 2018. Ransomware will continue
to plague organisations, with old attacks refreshed and reused, the treat of ransomware
will continue to grow exponentially in 2018. Threats of this type and scale
will be a common feature of the next 12 months.
“Fake news
became a major issue in 2017 and will get worse in 2018. With CGI, photoshop
and voice-over technology,. It is almost impossible to tell if a photo or video
is real or fake. The social media has empowered people and turned them into
journalist of sort. Forwarded messages are being considered as genuine without
proper investigation. Facebook posts, Instagram posts, and tweets are now being
considered as authoritative source of news. With the 2019 election around the corner, unemployed youths will continue to
be used as tools by politicians to spread fake news in 2018.
CSEAN president
further said that the rising value of cryptocurrencies is generating attention
from so many Nigerians.
“Hackers and bad
actors are also not left out. In 2018 we will see more fraud, hacks and money
laundering take place across the cryptocurrency marketplaces,” Afon declared.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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