Curbing The Proliferation of Counterfeits in Nigeria Through Actionable Intelligence, Supply Chain Security And Technology (Part 1)

Peopled with plausibly 200 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.  With a total GDP of $432.3 billion, Nigeria is the biggest economy and market in Africa. Nigeria accounts for 82% of Africa’s ICT market and 29% of Africa’s Internet usage. Looks like good news. However, the snag is that there’s patent proliferation of counterfeit products in Nigeria and there’s no guarantee that the product (especially luxury goods) you purchased is genuine. Counterfeiting is not only a Nigerian problem, but also a global malaise. To put things in perspective, in Fiscal Year 2020, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly seized over 26,000 shipments of counterfeit goods valued at over $1.3 billion at United States borders. As a matter of fact, the American multinational e-commerce and one of the world's most valuable brand, Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting efforts reportedly led to the blocking of more than 10 billion suspected phony listings in 2020. Similarly, in addition to erasing 74 cybercrime groups with 385,000 members selling passwords, credit cards and hacking services, Facebook (now Meta) said it proactively removed 283 million pieces of Facebook content violating counterfeit or copyright infringement rules and about 3 million on Instagram. According to European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, 86% of all counterfeits worldwide originated from Mainland China and Hong Kong in 2015.

Nigeria Ranked 16th In FBI Global Cybercrime Victims Report

Nigeria has been ranked 16th among the countries most affected by internet crime in the world in 2020.

2020’s Top Cybersecurity Threats Explained By Avast

The new year is a time for reflecting on the old and considering the new. In cybersecurity, this leads to a prediction-fest where vendors tell us what to expect over the next 12 months. But to really understand what is likely to happen, we need to examine not what happened over the last year, but what has been bubbling under the surface. From there we can assess how the criminals are likely to respond in their drive for either money or political advantage.

Cybersecurity Implications Of 5G Technology: What You Need To Know

5G is being touted as revolutionary due to the massive download speeds that consumers can expect when it is rolled out at full strength. Samsung is calling it “wireless fiber” and in addition to providing smartphone users with better networking, it will permit for improvements in IoT devices like connected cars and other futuristic smart city developments. 

Cybersecurity: Nigeria Climbs To Third Position in Mobile Malware Attacks in 2018

No fewer than four African countries made the list in terms of top 10 countries by share of users attacked by mobile malware; Nigeria climbs from fifth place in 2017 to third in 2018.

Nigerian Army Launches Cyberwarfare Command To Combat Terrorism, Fake News

The Nigerian Army has launched a cyber command centre in a bid to tackle terrorist activities and fake news in cyberspace. 

Proliferation of Weaponized Information: Threat To Democracy, National Security?

Food For Thought: ‘’Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral’’

-         Laws of Technology By Professor Melvin Kranzberg (1917-1995)

Introduction: Social media, big data and artificial intelligence (AI) can be likened to the 21^st century arms race. These innovations have disrupted the way we communicate, predict patterns/the stock market, national security (electronic intelligence and cyber-defence), and democracy, amongst others. Evidence abound of States, rogue states, non-state actors or ‘’lone wolves’’ (cyber troops) weaponizing information or launching information warfare (IW), psychological warfare (PSYWAR) or psychological operations (PSYOPs), and in some cases, manipulating social media with a bid to influencing the outcome of an election.

Cybersecurity: How Terrorists Plan To Disrupt Nigeria 2019 Election – NITDA

The Director General of Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Pantami has said the 2019 general elections may be disrupted if adequate information technology security measures were not put in place.

Israel Pledges To Assist Nigeria Tackle Cyber Crimes, Security

The Israeli government has pledged to assist Nigeria in tackling cyber crime and Homeland Security (HLS) using modern technology.

Cybersecurity: FBI Warns of Imminent Global ATM Bank Cyberattack

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has warned banks that ATMs will likely face a global attack by criminals in the “coming days.” The FBI was tipped off that these cybercriminals would hack payment card processors or banks and use ATMs all over the world to withdraw millions of dollars over the course of a few hours, as reported by cybersecurity blog Krebs on Security.

Why The Human Factor Is An Evergreen Problem in Cybersecurity

The human factor is a key concern for businesses trying to keep networks secure, according to Kaspersky Lab's State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2018 survey. With 40% of Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) computers undergoing attacks every six months, companies must try and find ways to end dangerous employee behaviors, said the press release.

Nearly 75% of Organizations in 5 Countries Fail in Cybersecurity Readiness: Hiscox

Major shortcomings exist in cyber security readiness for nearly three-quarters (73%) of more than 4,100 organizations in five countries, despite keen awareness of the threat, according to a study commissioned by specialist insurer Hiscox.

Cybersecurity: Nigerian Govt Issues Advisory on Global Ransomware Cyberattack

Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, on Saturday issued an emergency advisory to Nigerians about the proliferation of a rampaging ransomware malware strain that emerged across the globe recently.

North Korea Hacking Nigerian Banks, Financial Institutions of 17 Other Countries

North Korea’s hacking operations are growing and getting bolder and increasingly targeting financial institutions worldwide.

Cybersecurity: How To Remove Ransomware From Your Phone

Having explained how Android Nougat has received additional features to combat the growing menace of ransomware and how you can protect against the threat by following a few simple steps, this writeup will explain how to remove ransomware from your phone if you’ve accidentally installed it.

WhatsApp Encryption Helps Terrorists Hide, Says UK Home Secretary

The United Kingdom Home Secretary, speaking on the Andrew Marr show, said that encrypted platforms give terrorists “a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.”

Cybersecurity: Smartphone Ransomware Is a Looming Threat

Ransomware

Envisage turning on your smartphone to send a text and finding this threatening notice instead:

Cybersecurity Expert Says, 'Nigeria Accounts For $9.3b Global Loss To Cybercrime’

Nigeria is responsible for at least $9.3 billion out of the total global loss to the rising cybercrime, according to the President, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon.

Cybersecurity: Cybercrime Costs UK Economy More Than £10 Billion Annually

The United Kingdom economy lost up to £10.9 billion as a result of online fraud and cybersecurity last year, according to new research — that's around £210 for every person over the age of 16 in the country.

Why Your Biggest Cybersecurity Weakness Is Your Phone

Mobile devices are one of the weakest links in corporate security. Executives are wrestling with managing a proliferation of devices, protecting data, securing networks, and training employees to take security seriously. In our Tech Pro Research survey of chief information officers, technology executives, and IT employees, 45% of respondents saw mobile devices as the weak spot in their company’s defenses. (Employee data was cited by 37%, followed by wireless access of networks at 34% and bring-your-own-device efforts at 29%.).