Telecom
Ransomware Persisted Despite Improved Detection in 2022 – IBM Report
IBM Security released its annualX-Force Threat Intelligence Index finding that although ransomware’s share of incidents in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) held steady at 18%, globally defenders were more successful detecting and preventing ransomware.
Despite this, attackers continued to innovate, with the report showing that globally the average time to complete a ransomware attack dropped from two months down to less than 4 days.
According to the 2023 report, the deployment of backdoors, which allow remote access to systems, emerged as the top action by attackers in the MEA region last year. Backdoor deployments were detected in 27% of the cases X-Force responded to in this region in 2022. Ransomware and worms tied for the second-most common attack type in the region at 18% each. The uptick in backdoor deployments can be partially attributed to their high market value. X-Force observed threat actors selling existing backdoor access for as much as $10,000, compare this to stolen credit card data, which sells for less than $10 per card today.
As organizations across the MEA region try to address the ever-evolving cyber threats landscape, Frida Kleimert Knibbs, Security Leader at IBM MEA, stressed the critical role of threat intelligence in safeguarding against these threats. She commented: “Proactively managing security risks and evolving cybercrime tactics is a critical priority for organizations across MEA. The X-Force Threat Intelligence Index findings demonstrate the continued threat of ransomware and the increasing use of thread hijacking tactics.”
She added: “To safeguard against these threats, it’s imperative that companies remain vigilant and focus on effective incident response planning. As the security landscape evolves, it is crucial to prioritize threat intelligence and strengthen defenses”.
The IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index tracks new and existing trends and attack patterns – pulling from billions of datapoints from network and endpoint devices, incident response engagements and other sources.
Some of the key findings in the 2023 report include:
- Extortion: Threat Actors Go-to Method. The most common impact from cyberattacks in 2022 was extortion, which was primarily achieved through ransomware or business email compromise attacks. Extortion and financial loss each accounted for half of identified impacts in incidents across the MEA region in 2021. Manufacturing was the most extorted industry globally in 2022, and it was again the most attacked industry for the second consecutive year. Manufacturing organizations are an attractive target for extortion, given the extremely low tolerance for down time.
- Cybercriminals Weaponize Email Conversations. Thread hijacking saw a significant rise in 2022, with attackers using compromised email accounts to reply within ongoing conversations posing as the original participant. X-Force observed the rate of monthly attempts increase by 100% globally compared to 2021 data. Over the year, X-Force found that attackers used this tactic to deliver Emotet, Qakbot, and IcedID, malicious software that often results in ransomware infections.
- Legacy Exploits Still Doing the Job. The proportion of known exploits relative to vulnerabilities declined 10 percentage points globally from 2018 to 2022, due to the fact that the number of vulnerabilities hit another all-time high. The findings indicate that legacy exploits enabled older malware infections such as WannaCry and Conficker to continue to exist and spread.
- Phishers “Give Up” on Credit Card Data. The number of cybercriminals targeting credit card information in phishing kits dropped 52% globally in one year, indicating that attackers are prioritizing personally identifiable information such as names, emails, and home addresses, which can be sold for a higher price on the dark web or used to conduct further operations.
- Finance and Insurance Remain Prime Targets for Cyberattacks in MEA: In the Middle East and Africa, Finance and insurance was the most-targeted industry in 2022, accounting for 44% of incidents and down slightly from 2021 at 48%. Professional, business and consumer services accounted for 22% of attacks, with manufacturing and energy tying for third place at 11%.
The report features data IBM collected globally in 2022 to deliver insightful information about the global threat landscape and inform the security community about the threats most relevant to their organizations. You can download a copy of the 2023 IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Report here.
Additional sources
- Read more about the report’s top findings in this IBM Security Intelligence blog.
- Sign up for the 2023 IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index webinar on Thursday, March 2, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET here
- Schedule a consult with IBM Security X-Force
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and owner of X, on Sunday criticised his birth country’s government, claiming that Starlink is being denied an operating licence on the basis that he is not black.
In a series of posts on his X handle, the South Africa-born billionaire referenced ongoing regulatory hurdles tied to the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policies.
He claimed the post-apartheid rules require telecommunications licensees to have at least 30 per cent ownership by historically disadvantaged groups, primarily Black South Africans, women, and people with disabilities.
He wrote, “South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was born there, simply because I am not black!
“We were offered many times the opportunity to bribe our way to a license by pretending that a black guy runs Starlink SA, but I have refused to do so on principle.
“Racism should not be rewarded no matter to which race it is applied. Shame on the racist politicians in South Africa.
“They should be shown no respect whatsoever anywhere in the world and shunned for being unashamedly racists!”
The dispute centres on licensing requirements enforced by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.
Starlink has not formally received a licence and has argued that current telecom regulations do not fully recognise Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes, alternatives to direct ownership transfers that allow companies to invest in skills development, infrastructure, or community projects instead.
South African officials have, over the years, repeatedly dismissed claims of racism, citing other foreign investors operating in the country.
They argued that the company has not submitted a complete formal application compliant with existing rules.
“Sir, that’s not true and you know it! It’s got nothing to do with your skin colour. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa provided there’s compliance with local laws.
“This is a global international trade and investment principle. There are over 600 USA companies investing and operating in #SouthAfrica…all complying and thriving! @Microsoft just announced additional investments yesterday,” South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, said in March 2025, when Musk initially raised the allegation.
Replying again via X on Sunday, he wrote, “@elonmusk watching the more than 600 USA companies investing more in, complying with #SouthAfrican laws and thriving. Zero drama!!.”
Telecom
Digital Realty, IXPN Expand Peering Network with New Internet Exchange Point of Presence in Nigeria
Digital Realty, the world’s largest cloud and carrier-neutral data center platform, today announced the activation of a new internet exchange point of presence (PoP) for the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) at its newly commissioned data center in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
This development marks a significant milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and elevating West Africa’s connectivity.
Building on IXPN’s existing PoP at Digital Realty’s campus located in Victoria Island, the newly activated PoP at the company’s Lekki data center extends IXPN’s reach, offering access from 12 data centers across Nigeria. IXPN is now uniquely available in all major data centers in Lagos, further positioning Lagos as a hub for local and regional interconnectivity.
Strategically located, Digital Realty’s Lekki data center serves as the landing point for the 2Africa subsea cable system, one of the world’s most expansive subsea cable projects, linking over 46 locations throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
This can deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity and can help enhance Nigeria’s role in the global digital economy. With the opening of Digital Realty’s Lekki data center alongside its campus in Victoria Island, Digital Realty became the first carrier-neutral data center provider in Lagos to operate two campuses, offering enhanced resilience and disaster recovery options for the industry.
With improved access to IXPN at the Digital Realty’s Lekki campus, networks and service providers can benefit from expanded, resilient public peering options. These enhancements can reduce latency, improve efficiency, support robust data exchange for content providers and cloud platforms, and enable enterprises to meet growing demands both locally and internationally.
This activation at our Lekki campus represents a deepening of Digital Realty commitment to connecting the local and regional digital economy to global networks,” said Ike Nnamani, Managing Director, Digital Realty in Nigeria. “By integrating IXPN’s exchange point, we are delivering resilient peering that enables lower latency and can increase operational efficiency for our customers.”
For IXPN, the move supports its expanding community of over 130 peering members – spanning ISPs, global content, and cloud operators – delivering greater resilience and more efficient local internet traffic exchange.
“Expanding IXPN to Digital Realty’s Lekki campus is a significant step in our journey to enhance connectivity across Nigeria,” said Muhammed Rudman, CEO, IXPN. “Our members are expected to benefit from faster, low-latency pathways, allowing broader digital inclusion and fueling Nigeria’s digital economy,” Rudman continued.
IXPN continues to play a pivotal role in localising internet traffic, a key factor in performance improvements and cost reductions. Peak domestic internet traffic at IXPN surpassed 1 terabit per second (Tbps) in April 2025 and grew to over 2 Tbps by March 2026, demonstrating IXPN’s significant role in local traffic exchange. Industry data shows that keeping traffic local reduces latency, boosts connectivity speeds, and delivers substantial annual savings for ISPs and content providers.
Telecom
Digital Encode Sponsors PAFON 3.0 as CVO Prof. Adewale Set to Deliver Keynote on Cybersecurity and Trust
Digital Encode Limited has emerged the lead sponsor of the upcoming third edition of the forum (PAFON 3.0), the organisers have announced.
PAFON 3.0
PAFON 3.0 is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Themed “Fair Digital Payments as a Catalyst for Deepening Financial Inclusion in Nigeria,” PAFON 3.0 serves as a strategic platform for senior executives from banks, fintechs, regulatory agencies, and technology innovators to address the evolving digital payment landscape.
As Nigeria transitions toward a cash-light economy, the forum will focus on critical pillars of sustainability, including transparency, pricing integrity, and system resilience.
Bridging Cybersecurity and Financial Inclusion
Professor Adewale Peter Obadare, the Founder/chief visionary officer of Digital Encode will deliver a cybersecurity-focused keynote address that connects trust, resilience, fraud prevention, and consumer protection to financial inclusion.
His session will provide a specialized perspective on how information security serves as the bedrock of financial inclusion; exploring the vital links between building infrastructure that consumers can rely on, protecting the ecosystem to allow inclusion to scale, and ensuring equitable and secure access for all Nigerians.
Prof. Obadare is arguably the most Credentialed PAN-African Digital Trust Leader, CyberSecurity Strategist, GRC Thought Leader & Global Technopreneur.
He is a seasoned Multi-Award Cybersecurity & GRC expert with over 58 (Fifty-Eight) international professional certifications to his credit, Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Liverpool Unversity, UK, was awarded Honorarary Doctorate Degree in Cybersecurity from Trinity International University of Ambassadors Atlanta Georgia, United State of America and First Professor of Practice – Cybersecurity at Miva Open University, Abuja, Nigeria.
Prof. Obadare is a well-recognized subject matter expert with numerous successful engagements to his credit in Africa and the world. His skills and experience spans Data Privacy, Data Protection, CyberSecurity, Information Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Business Continuity, I T Governance, Risk Management and Compliance.
He is a Cybersecurity Advisory Board Member for Lagos State Government, a Platinum Team Member of Open-Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM), as well as a lifetime member of the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP). He is an alumnus of FATE Foundation and US Department of State Exchange program.
He is also a distinguished alumnus of executive education at Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Government, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Professional Education and Oxford University – Said Business School.
“Without trust in the security of digital payments, inclusion cannot scale. And we are happy to welcome Digital Encode as our Lead Sponsor this year. With what the company stands for and the personality of the CVO on a global scale, we have no doubt that attendees at this year’s PAFON will go home with lots of insights.”
“The theme for PAFON 3.0 was carefully selected because if digital payments are affordable, transparent, accessible, and trustworthy, more Nigerians, especially the underserved, will participate in the financial system”, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-convener of Payments Forum Nigeria, noted, highlighting Digital Encode distinguished leadership in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
Other Confirmed speakers: Dr. Jameelah Sharrieff-Ayedun, Vice President, Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) & CEO, Credit Registry; Uche Uzoebo, MD/CEO, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF Limited): Special Guest of Honour; Mojeed Abayomi Agboola, National President, Financial Inclusion Agents Multipurpose Cooperative Society (FIAMCS); Dr. Obioha Otti, National President, Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN); Chukwuemeka Enoch, Founder, Lagos Blockchain Week, and Sarafadeen Fasasi, National President, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFiAN), amongst others.
The forum will feature speakers from across the financial spectrum, including mobile money operators, payment processors, and development institutions, to shape policy dialogue and industry standards.
PAFON is a premier industry gathering that aligns brand positioning with trust and innovation in Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem. It provides a unique space for thought leadership, regulatory engagement, and market expansion within the payment infrastructure sector.
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