Insecurity: Sokoto Sultanate Council Asks District Heads To Monitor Newcomers In Communities

The Sultanate Council of Sokoto has
advised district heads to monitor
newcomers into their communities in view of the prevailing security situation in Nigeria.

The advice is contained in a communiqué issued in Sokoto on Saturday at the end of a meeting between the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the district heads.

The communiqué was signed by the
Secretary, Sultanate Council of Sokoto, Alhaji Attahiru Hussaini.
The communiqué said the traditional
rulers should henceforth send monthly reports about their communities to the Sultanate Council in Sokoto.

The communiqué directed “village and ward heads should monitor new comers to their hamlets and villages and report same to their district heads.
“These reports must be sent in the first week of the new month, while a
committee will be set up by the council to study and analyse the reports with a view to identifying defaulting district heads.

“There is the need for the district heads to set up a committee at the district, village and hamlet levels.
“This is with the view to taking more care of government development projects in their respective areas.”
The communiqué stressed the need for traditional rulers to continue to monitor the current campaign on polio eradication being waged by the three tiers of government.

It also stressed the need for the
traditional rulers to educate their subjects on the importance of the National Identity Card and the permanent voter card so that they could get them.

The communiqué also urged the district heads to be more pro-active in the collection of Zakkat and endowment in their respective areas.
It said that, upon collection, they should liaise with the State Zakkat and Endowment Committee for proper distribution.

News Agency of Nigeria

How Boko Haram Metamorphosed - Max Siollun

It seems that the public and media missed critical clues in the evolution of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
People seem to think the 2009 clashes between Boko Haram and security forces were the start of the group’s campaign of violence.

However there were clues about the group’s increasing radicalization as far back as 10-12 years ago. In early 2003 a group that advocated implementing a purer form of Sharia law embarked upon a Hijra (migration) away from secular society which they regarded as corrupt, to a remote village in northern Yobe State near Nigeria’s border with Niger. Its members were described as “mostly urban, comparatively well off Nigerians who had moved to a commune-like village to set up their own isolated society”.

Locals nicknamed the group the “Taliban”. Until the “Boko Haram” moniker became part of popular discourse in 2009, the group was known as the “Taliban” for about 5 years.

Who Were The “Nigerian Taliban”?
According to Shehu Sani (who has met Boko Haram members) the “Taliban” group was led by an associate of Mohammed Yusuf called Mohammed Alli. Alli led the Taliban’s migration to a village close to Kannamma in Yobe State. The Taliban were largely peaceful and devoted themselves to their own interpretation of Islam and isolated themselves from the rest of secular
society. Its members included “individuals from wealthy Islamic families in Borno State, unemployed university students and friends and
colleagues from other states including Ogun and Lagos”. The Governor of Yobe State Bukar Abba Ibrahim denied allegations that his son was a member.

Although the Taliban were not violent, a Professor at the University of Maiduguri in Borno State, Abdulmumin Sa’ad, said that the group was on an “idealistic outing in Yobe State,” but that it and other groups could easily become violent and adopt extremist ideology or foreign ties. The Professor and his colleagues noted an increase in
religiously inspired sects on Nigerian university campuses. Professor Sa’ad also said that radical Islamist groups were also emerging from unemployed academics looking to make sense of
their corrupt society.

With Nigeria becoming more corrupt and economically polarised, “radical groups will likely emerge and youth may look to Islamic extremism to strike back at economic and political injustice.” Chillingly, a U.S. diplomatic cable in February 2004 warned that “A small sect could easily turn to terrorism, or be used as a tool by international terrorist groups.”

After living peacefully with their neighbours in 2003, conflict arose after the Taliban got into a dispute with locals about fishing rights. Local leaders asked the Taliban to leave and in December 2003, the police destroyed the Taliban’s camp and arrested several of its members. This interaction with the police marked the first step in the weaponisation of the group that eventually metamophorsised into Boko Haram.

The Slide Into Violence:
The Taliban retaliated by attacking the police station in Kannamma and taking several guns and ammunition from the station. They attacked other police stations in Yobe State before finally being suppressed in the Yobe State capital Damaturu. It is important to note that at this stage, the Taliban’s violence was directed almost entirely at the police and they had little interest in conflict with civilians. One Taliban member called Ismael Abdu Afatahi (a 21-year-old student from Lagos who joined the group) said: “I don’t know the
major reason why we attacked the police posts.

Maybe it is because the police is the protector of the people in Nigeria – But I was not told actually”.
In early 2004 the Taliban took their weapons into Borno State and also battled the police there.

Press reports mentioned that scores of men wearing “red bandanas”, carrying a flag with an Islamic inscription, and chanting “Allahu Akbar!” attacked police stations in Bama and Gworza in Borno State. During their raids they also
kidnapped some locals who they tried to conscript and forced to dig trenches around their camp.

According to Shehu Sani, the Taliban who survived these clashes then joined Mohammed Yusuf’s movement. The movement that eventually became Boko Haram…

Abubakar Shekau assumed leadership of the Sect after the erstwhile leader - Mohammed Yusuf was gunned down in broad daylight.

Culled From:
Max Siollon's website

Nigeria: Challenges of Governance in the Era of Boko Haram Insurgency - Sambo Dasuki (NSA)

The essence of good governance is to effectively lead and guide the instruments of the State to meet
the needs of citizens, effectively balancing present needs while anticipating future trends. The ability
to optimally achieve these balances is what defines good governance.

If good governance is difficult to achieve under normal conditions, it is even more difficult today in Africa with the advent of global terrorism and insurgency. In this paper, I intend to show how much more complex it has become in the post-modern era of instability to deliver good governance. I will also offer some examples of how we in Nigeria are trying to accelerate our effectiveness under highly complex circumstances.

Basic Challenge in Governance:
It is important first to understand the very basic challenge of governance in a developing country. The needs and aspirations of citizens are often so diverse that good governance is needed to balance various interests while focusing on the key goal of
accelerating prosperity.

Today, Africa is fast approaching a situation where coups and dictatorships will be things of the past. This means that leaders must now earn their legitimacies by delivering on the complex and often competing needs of citizens. The subtleties of this complex situation need to be clearly understood by scholars whose insights and knowledge are critical in shaping our understanding of good governance.

This is one of the reasons why I am excited to be here at this conference being organized by Huhu Group and the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard
University, which has a reputation for being at the forefront of science and knowledge on good governance.

Governance in the Post-Modern Era:
Let me expatiate on some of the new challenges in governance in the post-modern age. The post-modern age, brought about by rapid advances in
the development and use of information and telecommunication technology, has dramatically changed the notion of effective leadership and the implications of ineffective governance.

On one hand, new opportunities for income and wealth generation are increasingly accruing to the well-
educated and talented knowledge workers, but this leaves a large and growing proportion of the population with unmet aspirations impatient for
change.

This has not only increased the pressure on governments to provide better services to their citizens, it has also increased the need for accountability and transparency. Global, regional and national imbalances in access to healthcare, job opportunities, education, housing and justice are now more readily perceived, creating dissonance and heightening feelings of personal
insecurity. Leaders can no longer easily get away with ignoring the needs of the masses, although those needs have become a lot more difficult to balance.

Again, this is particularly important in
Africa where many feel insecure; where past neglect of the people is providing spaces where discontent flourishes; which insurgents exploit to challenge constituted authority.

The absence of good governance is regarded by the World Bank as the most important, if not the sole cause of Africa’s under development. One of the lessons from the Middle-East and North African countries (the MENA region) is that the perception of ineffective governance can easily lead to regime change. A key challenge is therefore how to govern in ways that ensure the masses feel secure and committed in order to maintain peace and stability.

Leaders today must utilize resources and structures within and outside their governance domain to ensure a solid foundation for society’s advancement. Let me use Nigeria as a case study to further support my point. In Nigeria, decades of truncated democracy following serial Military coups led to deficits in multiple areas of governance. The return to long-term democracy, beginning in 1999, afforded us the opportunity to begin rebuilding our governance institutions and institute long needed reforms in the areas of education, health, science, technology, infrastructure, conduct of elections, justice sector reforms, human rights, socio-economic development and national security.

Read the full article here

Survivors of Boko Haram Attack Stranded on Mountain With No Food

MAIDUGURI, August 9, 2014 (AFP) - Hundreds of people who escaped a Boko Haram attack on their town in Nigeria's restive north and fled to a nearby mountain said Saturday they were without any food.

"We are in distress. We need help," said Liman Ngosha, a farmer from the town of Gwoza.
"We have been starving for the past four days. We are surviving now on wild fruits," he told AFP by phone from the Mandara mountain.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the town, some 135 kilometres (80 miles) from the state capital of Maiduguri, on Wednesday.

The raid left dozens dead and sent others fleeing to the mountain near the Cameroonian border.
Survivors said there were no soldiers to defend the town when the gunmen attacked before dawn.

"I cannot tell the exact number of people that were killed. Before I fled, over 100 corpses littered the streets of Gworza," Ngosha said.

The palace of the town's emir, the police headquarters and scores of other buildings were destroyed, residents said.
"Dozens of our people have been killed by the attackers. Some were slaughtered and many others shot with guns," resident James Mshelia told AFP.

Residents said the whereabouts of the Gwoza emir, Mohammad Idrissa Timta, was unknown. Timta succeeded his father, Mustapha Idrissa Timta, who was killed by Boko Haram insurgents in May.

"There is no military presence in Gwoza now," said Halima Jatau, one of the fleeing residents.
The attack on Gwoza came a few weeks after the insurgents took over Damboa, another town in the volatile state that is repeatedly attacked by the Islamist group.

Many Gworza residents who escaped the attack, including some who fled to the mountain, met in Maiduguri on Saturday with the state governor,
Kashim Shettima, who promised to discuss their plight with President Goodluck Jonathan.

"I share your pain and I know the difficulty that you are going through. I want to assure you that I will relay what is happening to the president and I will seek his support in the deployment of more soldiers to Gwoza," he said.

On Saturday, police fired shots at a group of about 300 Gworza residents who had gathered in central
Maiduguri to protest the Boko Haram attack, injuring a 26-year-old man.

The head of the state police, Lawan Tanko, later apologised to the protesters saying that the policeman who fired the shot that injured the man had been identified and would be tried and punished accordingly.

ReliefWeb

Three Things To Know During Anti- Terrorism Awareness Month - US Army

Each year, the US Army sets aside August to raise awareness of its ongoing efforts to protect Soldiers and their families, Department of the Army civilians and contractors from terrorist threats.

The Army's Anti-terrorism Program protects personnel, information, and facilities in all locations and situations
against terrorist activities. The purpose of Anti-terrorism Awareness Month is to instill Army-wide heightened awareness and vigilance to protect Army communities
from acts of terrorism.

Here are a few things to always keep in mind:

1. The threat is real:
According to a recent article by the Heritage Foundation, there have been 60 terrorist plots against the U.S., since 9/11. Their research of media reports and court documents shows that military facilities were the number one target in these plots, followed by New York City and places with mass gatherings, such as the Boston Marathon.
"Our enemies never rest and continue to seek ways to attack our nation and destroy our way of life. AT month
provides us an opportunity to contribute to the defense against terrorism and keep our families and communities safe through training and awareness," explained Col. Mike Blahovec, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's protection director.

2. Awareness is critical:
Knowledge is power, and just like in the National Football League, defense wins championships. As part of the awareness month, every member of the Army team is required to take the online AT Level I Awareness Training course. The online course is located at https://jkodirect.jten.mil.

To further enhance awareness, every Soldier within TRADOC, and all new civilian hires, are required to receive face-to-face AT Level I training, according to Jim Kirkland, TRADOC's anti-terrorism officer.

3. See something - Say something:
Sometimes seemingly benign -- but odd -- situations can lead to terrible consequences, if they go unreported.
According to Kirkland, the "See Something -- Say Something" motto has contributed to preventing planned
attacks.

For example, an alert citizen in Minnesota recently noticed someone crossing her yard to a storage area. She reported the suspicious activity, and a 17 year old was charged with attempted murder, possessing explosives and attempted damage to property. He possessed six bombs, seven weapons, and 400 rounds of ammunition, and planned to kill his family and classmates.

"We are all in this fight together," says Bill Moisant, TRADOC's G-34 protection chief.
"Our Soldiers and their families know what they've signed up for, and they know the type of business we are in, but we can all help watch each other's back. AT Awareness Month focuses on training; this is critical in protecting our people and enabling our missions.
Awareness is our most certain defense against an act of terrorism. If you see something - say something."

US Army

We’ ll Confront Security Challenges With All Our National Endowment — Pres. Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday in Abuja said that the nation would confront its present security challenges with “ all our national endowment ”.
Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Gusau (Rtd) said this at the graduation ceremony of Course 22 Participants of the National Defence College (NDC).

“We have made some gains against the adversary, we face an unspeakable evil and we must confront it with all our national endowment .
“And as government we will not compromise our sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.
“And we will not allow the authority of Nigerian state to be challenged.

Education is a human right which is
invaluable transformational value and is the bases of our development progress.
“We shall not give up that right for some faceless, misguided, self-styled using the means of terror,” he said.
Jonathan called on the populace to close ranks with government to end to insurgency saying: “there is no
challenge that can divide the collective will of the Nigerian .
“May I also use this opportunity to assure all Nigerians that we are committed to bringing back the
Chibok girls alive . ”

He called on the Armed Forces, intelligence and security agencies in the expanded security approach was crucial and urged them to take proactive measures in the discharge of their responsibilities .
“On the part of the government, we are committed to improving institutional capacity, platform and equipment , human and resources endowment of our security agencies to meet these challenges .
“Let me use this opportunity to salute the gallantry of men and women of the armed forces , the police , intelligence and the security agencies and emergency services for their loyal and patriotic service to the nation,
“My heart goes to all the service men that had paid the supreme sacrifice, so that other Nigerians may continue to live in peace and security.

“I wish to convey my personal sympathy to Nigerians, who had in one way or the other suffered human and material loss on account of terrorism, ” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Patrick Agholor , said that the
graduation of Course 22 marked the end of another successful academic journey at the NDC.
Agholor said during 44- weeks duration of the course, the participants received series of lecture on a wide range of subjects.
“I therefore, implore you to use the learning experiences, skills and values acquired here as enablers to drive your creativity and innovativeness to
meet challenges, you will face.
“I urge you, therefore, to prepare your minds and be ready to discharge your duties and responsibilities with utmost professionalism, ” he said.

The best graduating participant, Col. Joseph Chima, attributed the success of the participants to hard work.
“It was a very intense course and to have gone through it and top the class was challenging, ” he said.

Col. Cosmas Alhassan a foreign participants from Ghana who emerged as the best foreign participant said the course was educative . He said the knowledge he acquired would come handy in the discharge of duties in Ghana.

PM News

USB Devices Can Secretly Infect, Hijack Computers - Researchers

Berlin-based cyber-security experts Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell demonstrated how malicious code on
hardware connected via USB could "hijack" a PC, and gather private data.
The duo said there is no practical way to defend against the vulnerability.

The body responsible for the USB standard said manufacturers could build in extra security.
It is not uncommon for USB sticks to be used as a way of getting viruses and other malicious code onto target
computers.
Most famously, the Stuxnet attack on Iranian nuclear centrifuges was believed to have been caused by an
infected USB stick.

However, this latest research demonstrated a new level of threat - where a USB device that appears completely empty can still contain malware, even when formatted.
The vulnerability can be used to hide attacks in any kind of USB-connected device - such as a smartphone.
"It may not be the end of the world today," Mr Nohl told journalists, "but it will affect us, a little bit, every day,
for the next 10 years".

'Chip' exploited USB -
which stands for Universal Serial Bus - has become the standard method of connecting devices to computers due to its small size, speed and ability to charge devices.

USB memory sticks quickly replaced floppy disks as a simple way to share large files between two computers.
The connector is popular due to the fact that it makes it easy to plug in and install a wide variety of devices.
Devices that use USB contain a small chip that "tells" the computer exactly what it is, be it a phone, tablet or
any other piece of hardware.
It is this function that has been exposed by the threat.

Smartphone 'hijack'
In one demo, shown off at the Black Hat hackers conference in Las Vegas, a standard USB drive was inserted into a normal computer.
Malicious code implanted on the stick tricked the machine into thinking a keyboard had been plugged in.
After just a few moments, the "keyboard" began typing in commands - and instructed the computer to download a malicious program from the internet.

Another demo, shown in detail to the BBC, involved a Samsung smartphone. When plugged in to charge, the phone would trick the computer into thinking it was in fact a network card. It meant when the user accessed the internet, their browsing was secretly hijacked.

Mr Nohl demonstrated to the BBC how they were able to create a fake copy of PayPal's website, and steal user log-in details as a result.
Unlike other similar attacks, where simply looking at the web address can give away a scam website, there were no visible clues that a user was under threat.
The same demo could have been carried out on any website, Mr Nohl stressed.

'Trust nothing'
Mike McLaughlin, a security researcher from First Base Technologies, said the threat should be taken seriously.
"USB is ubiquitous across all devices," he told the BBC.
"It comes down to the same old saying - don't plug things in that you don't trust.
"Any business should always have policies in place regarding USB devices and USB drives. Businesses should stop using them if needed."

The group responsible for the USB standard, the USB Working Party, refused to comment on the seriousness of the flaw. But in more general terms, it said: "The USB specifications support additional capabilities for security, but original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) decide whether or not to implement these capabilities in their products.
"Greater capabilities of any product likely results in higher prices, and consumers choose on a daily basis
what they are willing to pay to receive certain benefits.
"If consumer demand for USB products with additional capabilities for security grows, we would expect OEMs to meet that demand."

Mr Nohl said the only protection he could advise was to simply be ultra-cautious when allowing USB devices to be connected to your machines.
"Our approach to using USB will have to change," he told the BBC.

BBC

Ebola Outbreak: Nigerian Government Install Infrared Thermal Detectors At Entry Points

The Nigerian government says it has
installed infrared thermal detectors in two of its international airports and land borders all aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola virus.

In a meeting with the diplomatic corps and heads of international agencies in the country, top Nigerian officials assured the> international community of its readiness to contain the viral disease.

The Nigerian government says it is undertaking high- level measures to contain the spread of the ebola virus which is still restricted to one of its cities, Lagos.

As such most entry and exit points into Nigeria are now to have infrared thermal detectors which are meant to detect high body temperatures.
Nigerian authorities also say they are not contemplating border closures or banning flights from some affected countries in the west African region as it will be counter-productive.

The Liberian and Sierra Leonean ambassadors complained of stigmatization of their citizens in
some Nigerian cities and are asking for the government’s intervention.
Most diplomats and international organisations pledged to support Nigeria and ECOWAS countries to curtail the Ebola virus but want African governments to step up public health campaigns.

TV Continental

Three Students Shot As Unical Student Union Government (SUG) Election Turns Violent

Three Students of the University of Calabar were on Wednesday evening shot by stray bullets discharged from the riffle of a security officer of the university.

The shooting occurred sequel to an inconclusive Student Union Government election contested by four candidates: Emmanuel Akobi, Ajang Emmanuel, Ilefa Austin and Afo Nelson.

According a student who functioned as observer in the election, Ekere Sylvanus, a year three political Science Student, trouble started when some of the students who registered to vote but could not find their names in the electoral register were not allowed to vote.
“Some students who registered during the registration exercise could not find their names on the Voters Register and the Electoral Officer who was assigned to conduct the election by the Vice Chancellor asked them to wait in a queue and the number rose to about three hundred and when it was 3pm when the election was scheduled to end, the Electoral Officer said the election
had ended prompting those students to insist they should be allowed to vote”.

NigerianEye

Boko Haram: Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Donates N125m To Victims of Terror, Insurgency

Indigenous Automobile giant, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Ltd (PAN), has donated the sum of N125m to victims of terrorism attack in the country.
This is in line with the response to the call by President Goodluck Jonathan on all corporate bodies to donate to the “Terrorism Victims Support Fund” (VSF), according to the Chief Executive officer of the company, Mr. Ibrahim Boyi.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, PAN stated that it will provide N25m worth of cars to the secretariat of VSF headed by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.

The CEO further disclosed that PAN will provide free tuition, valued at N100m to 100 qualified family members of the victim that will be nominated by the VSF foundation for technical skills acquisition in automobile repair and maintenance training.

Daily Times

Boko Haram: Solution Lies With Northern Elders - Aliyat Yakub

A friend wanted to visit the north, and she was so scared of coming that she had to consult her pastors on whether to come or not. It is so unfortunate that this is the situation our region finds itself today.

Gone are the days when everybody in the country wanted to have a feel of the northern culture. That was in the good old days. The security situation has left the North in ruins. As a result, northern political leaders, traditional rulers, elders and religious leaders should not sit by and watch Boko Haram destroy the region completely. It is unfortunate that the group, created by some selfish politicians for their political gains, has grown into a monster they can no longer control.

Today, people are being killed on a daily basis in Borno State. Although majority of Boko Haram’s atrocities are being carried out in Borno and Yobe states, the whole region is suffering from this madness.

Our economic life has been ruined by Boko Haram. Poverty is at an all- time high. Even before the advent of Boko Haram, we were trailing the other regions in terms of economy, education, among others, but today, the gap has
been widened to the extent that if Boko Haram cease all hostilities today, it would take about 50 years to return to the level we were before.
When we finally get back to that level, we will now start working towards running after the other regions, which would have gone far ahead of us.

Many businesses have been ruined, and others have simply relocated to the more stable regions in the country.
It is now time for our leaders in the North to come together and look at ways through which they can encourage the leadership of the sect to stop all its evil activities.

While they are waging a war against the
Nigerian government, and the President
Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, it is the people of the North who are suffering.
Those being killed on a daily basis are not the president’s kinsmen. They are northerners. The Christians being killed are also northerners.
These killings affect Jonathan in no way, and it won’t stop him from completing his term as president, or even from securing another term in office. If there is anybody losing from this heinous crime, it is the northerners.

I hope our leaders can finally convince Mr. Abubakar Shekau and his evil foot soldiers to stop wasting innocent peoples’ lives.

Boko Haram Retakes Military Camps in Gujba Local Govt Area, Yobe State

Military camps in Buni Yadi, Buni Gari and Goniri, all in Gujba Local Government area of Yobe State have
now been allegedly occupied by the Boko Haram insurgents, according to residents of the area.

It was also gathered that the recent bombing of the Katarko Bridge by the insurgents has temporarily cut-off both vehicular and human movement between Buni Yadi, the capital town of Gujba local government area and the Yobe state capital, Damaturu.

It was however gathered that some bold travellers going into what has become the den of the insurgents have to break their journeys at Katarko and cross over River Katarko to join a waiting vehicle to Buni Yadi or Buni Gari and vice versa.

One of the residents of the area, speaking to journalists anonymously in Damaturu after a ride from the "danger zone", disclosed that members of the Boko Haram sect "now move freely in the area brandishing their guns and weapons."
He lamented that the insurgents "now occupy locations that were previously manned by military in the areas."
“I am just coming from Buni Yadi. I came with my bicycle all the way to this place. I did not use any bush path. I followed the main road.
“We are facing a very terrible situation. There is no single security in our area.

The same in Buni Gari and Goniri. In fact the boys ( yaara in Hausa referring to Boko Haram) have taken over the military camps in the areas."

Details to follow

ThisDay Newspaper

Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kill 10 In Cameroon

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Suspected members of Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram killed 10 people and
kidnapped one in a raid on the village of Zigague in remote northern Cameroon on Wednesday, state radio reported.

The heavily armed gunmen arrived in a pick-up truck and on motorcycles at around 2 p.m. local time and stormed the house of a local chief, kidnapping one of his children and stealing a car, an army commander told state radio.
“On their way back, they came face-to-face with Cameroonian soldiers but succeeded in shooting to death nine villagers and a soldier of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR)," Albert Mekondane Obounou, senior divisional officer for the Logone and Chari region, told state radio.

Cameroon has introduced measures to increase security on its long jungle border with Nigeria, deploying more
than 1,000 soldiers, but has failed to stop Boko Haram raids.

President Paul Biya dismissed two senior army officers last month following Boko Haram attacks in which at least seven people were killed and the wife of the vice prime minister was kidnapped.

Reuters

Russian Gang 'Steals' 1.2 Billion Usernames and Passwords

A Russian group has hacked 1.2 billion usernames and passwords belonging to more than 500 million email addresses, according to Hold Security - a US firm specialising in discovering breaches.
Hold Security described the hack as the "largest data breach known to date".

It claimed the stolen information came from more than 420,000 websites, including "many leaders in virtually all industries across the world".
Hold Security did not give details of the companies affected by the hack.
"They didn't just target large companies; instead, they targeted every site that their victims visited," Hold Security said in its report .

"With hundreds of thousands of sites affected, the list includes many leaders in virtually all industries across the world, as well as a multitude of small or even personal websites."

The New York Times, which first reported the findings , said that on its request "a security expert not affiliated with Hold Security analysed the database of stolen credentials and confirmed it was authentic".
"Another computer crime expert who had reviewed the data, but was not allowed to discuss it publicly, said some big companies were aware that their records were among the stolen information," the paper said.

The paper added: "Hold Security would not name the victims, citing nondisclosure agreements and a
reluctance to name companies whose sites remained vulnerable."

The Wall Street Journal later revealed that Hold Security intended to offer website owners the ability to check
whether they had been affected, but only if they paid a fee.
The firm has since posted a message on its site saying it will charge $120 (£71) a month for a "breach notification service".

One computer security expert said he was surprised by this approach.
"This situation is quite unusual in that the company has decided to charge for this information," Dr Steven Murdoch from University College London's computer science department told the BBC.
"Usually they would do an initial disclosure [of who had been affected] for free and then offer their services for a fee at a later stage.
"The company rightly points out that there is going to be a huge amount of work to securely contact all the
affected websites, but a common solution to this is to partner with a government or industry-funded
organisation to help with that."

Despite the large amount of credentials said to have been compromised, Dr Murdoch added that it would be premature to advise the public to reset all their passwords.
"Although there's a large amount of passwords involved, a lot of them could be irrelevant and many of the
websites tiny," he said.
"It's not necessarily the case that a large proportion of internet users have been affected. Until we get more statistics we won't know that.

"So, there's no reason to panic now, but perhaps it's a good reminder to follow best practice of not using the same password on multiple websites, because this will not be the last time such a breach happens."

Multi-pronged attack?
Hold Security, which has previously reported about hacks on Adobe and Target, said it took more than seven months of research to discover the extent of the latest hack.
Other security experts are surprised by the way Hold Security is sharing its information.

The firm claimed the gang initially acquired databases of stolen credentials from fellow hackers on the black market.
"These databases were used to attack e-mail providers, social media, and other websites to distribute spam to victims and install malicious redirections on legitimate systems," Hold Security said.
The hackers also got access to data from botnets - a network of computers infected with malware to trigger online fraud.

Hold Security said the botnets helped the hacking group- which it dubbed CyberVor - identify more than 400,000
websites that were vulnerable to cyber attacks.
"The CyberVors used these vulnerabilities to steal data from these sites' databases," the firm said.
"To the best of our knowledge, they mostly focused on stealing credentials, eventually ending up with the largest cache of stolen personal information, totalling over 1.2 billion unique sets of e-mails and passwords."
The firm is now marketing its breach notification service as a way to "stay ahead of the hackers ".

But one of its rivals expressed surprise at this approach.
"For a long time the security industry has freely shared information on breaches within its own community,"
said Vanja Svajcer, principal security researcher at Sophos.
"Researchers discovering credentials breaches usually help end users either by making the information about
compromised accounts public or by working with the company whose servers were compromised to inform all affected users.
"In this case, the credentials were harvested from thousands of servers and it would be difficult to work
with every server owner to inform the compromised users. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to expect the company to make the information freely available so everybody can check that none of their email addresses have been compromised."

Password tips:
The University of Surrey's Prof Alan Woodward suggests the following rules should be observed when picking a new password.

Don't choose one obviously associated with you:
Hackers can find out a lot about you from social media so if they are targeting you specifically and you choose, say, your pet's name you're in trouble.

Choose words that don't appear in a dictionary:
Hackers can precalculate the encrypted forms of whole dictionaries and easily reverse engineer your password.

Use a mixture of unusual characters:
You can use a word or phrase that you can easily remember but where characters are substituted, eg,
Myd0gha2B1g3ars!

Have different passwords for different sites and systems:
If hackers compromise one system you do not want them having the key to unlock all your other accounts.

Keep them safely:
With multiple passwords it is tempting to write them down and carry them around with you. Better to use some form of secure password vault on your phone.

BBC

Nigeria Declares Ebola Outbreak 'National Emergency'

The Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Wednesday described the Ebola outbreak in the country as a “national emergency”.

Mr. Chukwu made the statement at an emergency meeting convened by the House of Representatives Committee on Health over the Ebola outbreak in Abuja. He said that out of six Nigerians diagnosed with Ebola virus, one had died on Tuesday, adding that the other five patients were receiving treatment.
The minister said that everyone in the world now was at risk, adding that the experience of Nigeria had opened the “eyes” of the world to the reality of
Ebola.

Mr. Chukwu faulted a report on the curative powers of Bitter Kola on Ebola. According to him, there was no empirical evidence to show that bitter kola will prevent or cure Ebola.
Commenting on the issue, the Project Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abdulsalami Nasidi, disclosed that 70 Nigerians were currently under surveillance for the disease.
Mr. Nasidi said that Patrick Sawyer arrived Nigeria about two weeks ago, had 70 primary and secondary registered contacts of which 39 were
hospital contacts and 22 airport contacts.
Mr. Sawyer’s contacts, it was disclosed, comprised officers of the State Security Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, airport support personnel and medical personnel that attended to Sawyer.

The Director, Port Health Services in the Health Ministry, Sani Gwarzo, said that restrictions had been placed on the repatriation of corpses of Nigerians abroad into the country.
He said that this was part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria.
Mr. Gwarzo said that more personnel were required by the health ministry to man and screen travelers at the country’s several travel entry.

Earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Ndudi Elumelu, said the committee reconvened to find out how many Nigerians were infected with.Ebola.
He explained that the committee also sought to know what the ministry had been doing to curb the spread of the virus.
According to him, Ebola is what most Nigerians are currently worried about; measures must be taken to protect Nigerians.

News Agency of Nigeria