Telecom
Sophos Launches Identity Threat Detection and Response to Combat Rising Credential-Based Cyberattacks
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced the launch of Sophos Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR).
This new solution for Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR continuously monitors customer environments for identity risks and misconfigurations and scans the dark web for compromised credentials.
It enables organizations to detect and respond to identity-based attacks rapidly and identify risky user behavior that could pose a threat to their business.
This launch is a significant milestone building on the Secureworks acquisition, broadening Sophos’ portfolio and is the first Secureworks solution that has been fully integrated into the Sophos Central platform, further enabling comprehensive security operations outcomes for its 600,000 customers.
Sophos ITDR addresses identity-based attacks, one of the fastest-growing threat vectors globally. Sophos X-Ops observed a 106 percent increase in stolen credentials for sale on the dark web between June 2024 and June 2025, underscoring the growing risk.
The Sophos Active Adversary Report further found that compromised credentials were the number-one root cause of attacks across MDR and incident response cases for the second year in a row, with 56 percent of incidents involving attackers logging into external remote services with valid accounts.
“Cloud and remote work have expanded the identity attack surface and created new opportunities for attackers,” said Rob Harrison, SVP, Product Management, Sophos. “Complex identity and access management systems with constantly changing settings and policies create gaps that attackers target. Sophos ITDR helps close those gaps by giving customers faster visibility into identity risks, monitoring for compromised credentials, and integrating with Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR for rapid, analyst-led response.”
Sophos ITDR uncovers identity risks and is designed to protect and detect against all known MITRE ATT&CK Credential Access techniques with detection rules for all of the techniques The solution performs more than 80 cloud identity posture checks, monitors for compromised credentials on the dark web, and uses AI-driven detections to identify identity-based attacks such as kerberoasting, privilege escalation, account takeover, brute force, and lateral movement. Response playbooks within Sophos ITDR, enable automated remediation actions, including account lock, password reset, multi-factor authentication refresh, and session revocation.
Key Features and Benefits in Sophos ITDR
· Identity Catalog: Gain complete visibility across all identities across systems to reduce blind spots.
· Identity Posture Dashboard: Get a single, prioritized view of identity risks, including compromised credentials on the dark web, to act faster.
· Continuous Assessments: Strengthen security posture with ongoing detection of misconfigurations, dormant accounts, vulnerabilities, and MFA gaps.
· Compromised Credential Monitoring: Protect users by detecting and alerting when stolen credentials surface in breach databases.
· Dark Web Intelligence: Stay ahead of attackers with proactive monitoring of underground markets for leaked credentials.
· User Behavior Analytics (UEBA): Spot insider threats and anomalous activity early to prevent account takeover and lateral movement.
· Advanced Identity Detections: Detect sophisticated identity attacks such as kerberoasting, account compromise, stolen credentials, password spray, brute force, and impossible travel.
· Identity Response Actions: Take immediate action on identity threats with integrated response actions to disable accounts, reset user sessions, reset passwords, or mark users as compromised in Microsoft Entra ID.
The Sophos ITDR solution integrates with Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR, automatically generating cases when identity-based threats or high-risk findings arise. With Sophos MDR, Sophos security analysts then investigate and take response actions on behalf of customers, accelerating remediation and reducing risk.
“Sophos ITDR has improved visibility into our identity risks and streamlined how we manage them,” said an Information Security Director at a financial services firm. “Having identity risk data available within Sophos XDR is a game changer for strengthening our overall security posture.”
“Identity has become the new frontline of cyber defense, and Sophos ITDR delivers the visibility and automation needed to stay ahead of attackers. By covering the full spectrum of identities from users to service accounts and applications, it closes blind spots, strengthens our overall security posture, and provides clear remediation actions that help my team address risks quickly and effectively,” said a CISO at a financial services firm.
Sophos partners can access enablement materials and sales resources via the Sophos Partner Portal.
In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, Techeconomy, a leading business news platform in Nigeria, has unveiled its “100 Women Shaping the Future: Techeconomy Power List 2026,” recognizing exceptional women driving innovation, leadership, and impact across technology and the broader digital economy.
Techeconomy
The annual recognition spotlights women who are transforming industries through entrepreneurship, policy leadership, digital innovation, financial inclusion, media, education, and emerging technologies.
The initiative is part of Techeconomy’s commitment to promoting gender inclusion and highlighting female leadership shaping Africa’s technology ecosystem.
The Techeconomy IWD Power List features a diverse group of women, from corporate executives and startup founders to policymakers, ecosystem builders, and social innovators, whose work continues to influence the future of technology, business, and digital transformation in Nigeria and across Africa.
Speaking on the initiative, Joan Aimuengheuwa, the Managing Editor at Techeconomy, noted that the recognition goes beyond celebrating titles, focusing instead on impact, resilience, and the ability to shape the future through innovation and leadership.
According to her, “the women on the list represent different sectors including fintech, banking, healthcare, agriculture, education, communications, and the creative economy, demonstrating the growing role of women in advancing technology-driven development.
The unveiling aligns with the global celebration of International Women’s Day, which highlights the achievements of women and calls for accelerated progress toward gender equality. Across the world, the technology sector continues to push for greater female representation and leadership as part of efforts to build more inclusive digital economies.
Also speaking, Oluwatosin Aloba, the Brand Manager at Techeconomy, said: “Techeconomy IWD 2026 Power List is specially designed to inspire the next generation of female innovators and leaders by showcasing role models who are breaking barriers and redefining possibilities in the technology landscape.
“Techeconomy encouraged industry stakeholders, institutions, and the broader public to celebrate the achievements of these women while continuing to support policies, programs, and investments that expand opportunities for women in technology”, she added.
The full list of the “100 Women Shaping the Future: Techeconomy Power List 2026” is available on the Techeconomy website or visit: https://techeconomy.ng/techeconomy-iwd-2026-power-list-celebrates-100-women-shaping-the-future-of-tech/.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), via its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to launch applications for the fifth cohort of the iHatch Startup Incubation Programme, targeting 37 innovation hubs—one per state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NITDA
The initiative selects hubs as state-level managers to run incubation programmes, addressing uneven support outside Lagos and Abuja. “Nigeria’s startup ecosystem has grown rapidly, but access remains uneven,” said ONDI National Coordinator Victoria Fabunmi. “iHatch builds stronger hubs, standardises quality, and boosts investment readiness across all regions.”
Amid Africa’s $3.42 billion startup funding in 2025, Nigeria’s innovation clusters in major cities, sidelining rural founders. Selected hubs will incubate five startups each for at least one year, providing structured guidance for growth and funding. Hubs gain operational support, resources, and performance rewards—prioritizing ecosystem leadership over cash grants.
Eligibility and Timeline
Eligible hubs must:
Operate for at least one year with local engagement.
Possess infrastructure for incubation activities.
Applications close March 16 at ondi.nitda.gov.ng/#/ihatch.
Fabunmi emphasized: “By equipping hubs with tools, curriculum, and oversight, iHatch ensures consistent outcomes for founders everywhere,” tackling geographic gaps to scale local innovation.
French media group Canal+ has announced a €100 million turnaround plan to revive growth at MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay-TV operator, after the DStv owner lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers and suffered a decline in revenue in 2025.
MultiChoice
The move follows Canal+’s full takeover of the South Africa-based broadcaster, which has been squeezed by weaker household purchasing power across Africa and intensifying competition from global streaming platforms.
According to Canal+’s latest financial disclosures, MultiChoice ended 2025 with 14.4 million subscribers, down from 14.9 million a year earlier, while revenue fell 6 per cent to €2.4 billion.
Adjusted earnings before interest and tax dropped 14 per cent to €159 million, prompting Canal+ to describe 2025 as “another challenging year” marked by falling subscriber numbers and an unsustainably high cost base.
The group cited currency depreciation in key markets such as Nigeria and persistent electricity shortages as major headwinds making it harder for households to maintain pay-TV subscriptions.
Canal+ also pointed to problems at Showmax, MultiChoice’s streaming service, describing one of its key contracts as an “expensive failure” and confirming that the arrangement is being shut down as part of a wider refocus on the core pay-TV business.
Under the new “boost plan,” which will roll out from 2026, Canal+ aims to restart subscriber growth and improve profitability across MultiChoice’s footprint by investing in content, pricing, distribution and sales.
On content, the French group says it plans to assemble the “best content on the African continent” by blending premium international programmes with more locally produced films, series and sports tailored to African audiences.
It will also simplify subscription packages and adjust pricing structures to make DStv and related offerings easier for customers to understand and afford.
To expand reach, Canal+ intends to subsidise hardware such as decoders and satellite dishes, lowering entry costs for new users.
In addition, the company will recruit more than 1,000 sales staff across African markets as it shifts MultiChoice towards a more aggressive, “sales-focused” model designed to win back and attract subscribers.
Alongside this investment push, Canal+ is embarking on significant cost-cutting measures, including a voluntary severance plan for some MultiChoice support staff and a restructuring of Irdeto, its technology and cybersecurity subsidiary.
Canal+ now expects to generate over €250 million in synergies by 2026, up from an earlier €150 million estimate, driven by the shutdown of loss-making Showmax contracts, operational restructuring at MultiChoice and rationalisation of company-owned properties.
The cost of delivering these savings is projected at between €70 million and €100 million. Despite the planned reforms, the group still anticipates a slight further decline in MultiChoice’s subscriber base in 2026, though the pace of losses is expected to slow, with adjusted earnings before interest and tax forecast to rise modestly to about €170 million as cost savings begin to offset weaker revenue and higher expenses.
Canal+ gained effective control of MultiChoice on 20 September 2025 after acquiring a majority stake, later buying out remaining shareholders and delisting the company from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in December 2025.
The French media group has said it intends to complete a secondary listing on the JSE before June 2026 to reinforce its presence in Africa’s fast-growing media and entertainment market.
The €100 million boost plan underlines the mounting pressure on traditional pay-TV operators across the continent as currency weakness, rising living costs and rapid expansion of streaming services force a strategic rethink of legacy television business models.
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