News
Cyberspace Turns Full-Blown War Zone-FireEye
Cyberspace has become a full-blown war zone as governments across the globe clash for digital supremacy in a new, mostly invisible theater of operations, according to an executive summary of a report released by FireEye at the weekend.
The report made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek said that, once limited to opportunistic criminals, cyber attacks are becoming a key weapon for governments seeking to defend national sovereignty and project national power.
From strategic cyber espionage campaigns, such as Moonlight Maze and Titan Rain, to the destructive, such as military cyber strikes on Georgia and Iran, human and international conflicts are entering a new phase in their long histories.
In this shadowy battlefield, victories are fought with bits instead of bullets, malware instead of militias, and botnets instead of bombs, the report contained.
A word of warning from the cyber security power house reiterated that the analytical waters surrounding cyber warfare are inherently murky, as these covert assaults are largely unseen by the public.
“Unlike the wars of yesteryear, this cyber war produces no dramatic images of exploding warheads, crumbled buildings, or fleeing civilians. But the list of casualties—which already includes some of the biggest names in technology, financial services, defense, and government —is growing larger by the day”.
A cyber attack is best understood not as an end in itself, but as a potentially powerful means to a wide variety of political, military, and economic goals.
“Serious cyber attacks are unlikely to be motiveless,” said Martin Libicki, Senior Scientist at RAND Corp. “Countries carry them out to achieve certain ends, which tend to reflect their broader strategic goals. The relationship between the means chosen and their goals will look rational and reasonable to them if not necessarily to us.”
Just as each country has a unique political system, history, and culture, state-sponsored attacks also have distinctive characteristics, which include everything from motivation to target to type of attack.
This report describes the unique characteristics of cyber attack campaigns waged by governments worldwide. We hope that, armed with this knowledge, security professionals can better identify their attackers and tailor their defenses accordingly.
A quick overview of the report painted Asia-Pacific as home to large, bureaucratic hacker groups such as the “Comment Crew” who pursue many goals and targets in high-frequency, brute-force attacks, while Russia/Eastern Europe, these cyber attacks are more technically advanced and highly effective at evading detection.
In the Middle East, the hackers are dynamic, often using creativity, deception, and social engineering to trick users into compromising their own computers and in the United States are the most complex, targeted, and rigorously engineered cyber attack campaigns to date.
FireEye noted that at the strategic level, governments desire to have a degree of plausible deniability.
“At the tactical level, military and intelligence organizations envelop such operations in layers of classification and secrecy. To be effective, information operations rely on deception—and the Internet offers an ideal venue for a spy’s smoke and mirrors.
“In practical terms, hackers often run their attacks through cyber terrain (such as compromised, third-party networks) that present investigators with technical and jurisdictional complications. And finally, cybercriminal tools, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) evolve so quickly that cyber defense, legislation, and law enforcement remain behind the attacker’s curve.
“The biggest challenge to deterring, defending against, or retaliating for cyber attacks is the problem of correctly identifying the perpetrator,” said Prof. John Arquilla, Naval Postgraduate School in an email interview with FireEye.®
“Ballistic missiles come with return addresses. But computer viruses, worms, and denial of service attacks often emanate from behind a veil of anonymity. The best chance to pierce this veil comes with the skillful blending of forensic back-hacking techniques with deep knowledge of others’ strategic cultures and their geopolitical aims.”
Cyber “attribution”—identifying a likely culprit, whether an individual, organization, or nation-state—is notoriously difficult, especially for any single attack. States are often mistakenly identified as non-state actors, and vice versa.
To make matters worse, ties between the two are increasing. First, a growing number of “patriotic cybercriminals” ostensibly wage cyber war on behalf of governments (examples include Chechnya and Kosovo in the 1990s, China in 2001, Estonia in 2007, Georgia in 2008, and every year in the Middle East).
“Second, cybercrime organizations offer anyone, including governments, cyber attack services to include denial-of-service attacks and access to previously compromised networks. FireEye researchers have even seen one nation-state develop and use a sophisticated Trojan, and later (after its own counter-Trojan defenses were in place) sell it to cybercriminals on the black market.
“Thus, some cyber attack campaigns may bear the hallmarks of both state and non-state actors, making positive attribution almost impossible. And finally, “false flag” cyber operations involve a hacker group behaving like another to mislead cyber defense researchers,” the report contained.
Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector have identified agricultural technology (AgriTech) and open data platforms as essential tools for advancing Nigeria’s digital economy, particularly in promoting inclusion and improving rural development.
Speaking at the session titled “Design Workshops Building Productive Sectors: Investing in the Digital Economy” during the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NESG) in Abuja,
Toluwaleke Adenmosun, senior partner at Verraki, said agriculture offers an opportunity for digital transformation.
“Some groups proposed open data platforms to improve the sourcing of agricultural commodities, while others emphasized the use of AgriTech to simplify and formalize the agricultural value chain,” she said.
Adenmosun also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in tax and levy structures affecting businesses. She called for digital tools to streamline compliance.
“Industry players face challenges not only with formal taxes but also with various levies and charges. A simple platform that outlines required payments and confirms when they are made can be implemented quickly and would address this,” she said.
She added that successful implementation requires clear leadership, whether from the public or private sector.
“It’s not solely a government responsibility. Someone must take ownership, drive execution, and raise awareness among farmers and stakeholders,” she said.
Participants also noted the need for awareness campaigns, as many farmers remain unaware of digital tools that can boost productivity and improve market access.
Olabode Ojo, vice president of Global Independent Connect Limited (GICL), a subsidiary of IHS Towers Nigeria, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding digital infrastructure in underserved areas.
“At GICL and IHS, our goal is to provide the infrastructure to support Nigeria’s digital economy,” said Ojo.
He noted that the company has deployed over 600 rural connectivity sites across 26 states and installed more than 16,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, supporting mobile technologies such as 2G, 3G, and 4G.
“People in these areas now have access to education, healthcare, and digital financial services,” he said. “This supports broader development.”
Ojo also referenced government plans led by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to deploy 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure and establish 7,000 rural telephony sites.
“These plans are ambitious but achievable,” he said. “We are ready to collaborate with the government to help make them a reality.”
While agriculture is not GICL’s core focus, Ojo acknowledged its role in the digital economy and the importance of infrastructure in enabling farmers’ access to data.
“These goals are within reach with collaboration from all stakeholders,” he said. “We must stay focused and work together to achieve them.”
With continued investment from both public and private sectors, stakeholders agreed that AgriTech, open data, and rural connectivity are vital to building a more inclusive digital economy in Nigeria.
May Agbamuche-Mbu, a National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assumed office as the acting Chairman of the Commission following the formal handover by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who is proceeding on terminal leave.
The transition was announced during a stakeholders’ meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners held on Tuesday at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, Yakubu explained that he was stepping down in accordance with Section 306, Subsections 1 and 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), having served the Commission for nearly a decade.
“In recognition of the significant challenges ahead, and having had the honour of serving the Commission for the past 10 years, with only a few weeks remaining in my tenure, I have made a decision,” Yakubu said.
“In the interim, I am handing over to one of the most senior national commissioners by date of appointment. Following consultation with other national commissioners, May Agbamuche-Mbu will serve in an acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chairman of the Commission.”
He expressed hope that the transition would afford the appointing authorities adequate time to name a new chairman and allow the incoming leadership to settle quickly into the task of conducting elections and electoral activities in what he described as Africa’s most demographically and logistically complex environment.
Reflecting on his tenure, Yakubu noted that since 2015, he had worked with 24 national commissioners and 67 resident electoral commissioners, as well as thousands of staff across the country.
He expressed deep appreciation for their support and acknowledged the contributions of civil society groups, development partners, and Nigerians at large.
He also praised members of the National Youth Service Corps, calling them “among the most educated, most patriotic, and most knowledgeable election officials I have worked with.”
“Above all, I thank Nigerians for their comments as well as criticisms, which encouraged rather than discouraged us to persevere,” he added.
As part of his farewell, Yakubu presented two publications documenting the Commission’s work during his tenure: Election Management in Nigeria 2015–2025 and Innovations in Electoral Technology 2015–2025.
He concluded his remarks with a prayer for the continued progress of Nigeria’s democracy.
“It is now my pleasure to sign my official handing over notes and present the same to Agbamuche-Mbu. And from that point, I will take my exit,” he said.
Before stepping down, Yakubu outlined INEC’s preparations for several upcoming elections, including the Anambra State governorship election next month, the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory in February 2026, the Ekiti State governorship election in June 2026, and the Osun governorship election in August 2026.
He also confirmed that INEC had already begun preparations for the 2027 general elections, while awaiting the passage of a new Electoral Act currently before the National Assembly.
Yakubu highlighted the need to further clean up the voters’ register, review polling unit locations, and manage party primaries effectively.
He acknowledged the logistical challenges of election management in Nigeria, citing insecurity, natural disasters such as floods, and the need to update frameworks for internally displaced persons’ voting.
He also listed several innovations introduced under his leadership, including the consolidation of the biometric register of voters, the digitization of manual processes, technologies for locating election facilities, virtual training platforms, systems for managing political party finances, and the Election Monitoring and Support Centre.
“Indeed, we have made tremendous progress, but a lot more needs to be done,” he said.
Born in May 1962, Yakubu previously served as Executive Secretary of the Education Trust Fund before his appointment as INEC Chairman by former President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015.
He assumed office on November 9, 2015, succeeding Professor Attahiru Jega. In 2020, he was reappointed for a second five-year term, becoming the first INEC chairman in Nigeria’s democratic history to be reappointed and confirmed by the Senate.
News
PalmPay Honoured as Consumer-Friendly Business of the Year 2025 @ Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency Awards
PalmPay, Nigeria’s leading digital banking platform, has been recognised with the prestigious Consumer-Friendly Business of the Year 2025 Award at the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency’s (LASCOPA) annual Consumer Service Week and Awards Ceremony, held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at Adeyemi Bero Hall, The Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event, organised by the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), celebrated businesses and organisations that demonstrate exceptional commitment to consumer rights, service excellence, and customer satisfaction.
PalmPay’s recognition underscores its dedication to delivering secure, reliable, and inclusive financial services to millions of Nigerians. With a focus on transparency, innovation, and customer-centricity, PalmPay continues to empower consumers by offering secure transactions, fraud protection, convenient payment solutions, and exceptional customer support.
Commenting on the award, Opara Onyinyechi, Senior Regulatory Compliance Specialist, PalmPay, said: “We are deeply honoured to receive the Consumer-Friendly Business of the Year Award from LASCOPA.
This recognition reaffirms our commitment to putting our customers at the heart of everything we do. At PalmPay, we will continue to champion trust, accessibility, and innovation in financial services, ensuring that every user experiences safe and seamless banking.”
The Consumer Service Week and Awards are part of a global initiative that highlights the importance of consumer protection and celebrates organisations that prioritise consumer welfare. By honouring PalmPay, LASCOPA have reinforced PalmPay’s role as a trusted partner in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.
PalmPay is a leading digital banking platform driving financial inclusion and economic empowerment in underserved emerging markets. Through its secure, user-friendly, and inclusive suite of financial services, PalmPay empowers individuals and businesses with tools to manage and grow their money.
PalmPay offers a comprehensive range of products, including mobile payments, savings, and micro-insurance via its app and mobile money agent network.
Since launching in Nigeria in 2019 under a Mobile Money Operator license, the platform has grown to over 35 million app users and processes up to 15 million transactions daily. PalmPay has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Bangladesh.
Airtel Africa Foundation Launches 100 Tech Scholarships for Nigerian Undergraduates
Lagos Trends Worldwide After Hosting E1 Lagos GP Africa’s Maiden Water Racing Event
Firm Introduces a New Training ‘Large Language Models Security’
CBN Makes case for Open Banking Policy @ Nigeria Fintech Week
NCC’s Maida Calls for Unified Action to Accelerate Broadband and Safeguard Telecom Infrastructure
Telecom2 days agoAkwa Ibom, T2 Set to Drive Digital Transformation
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky, Partners Launch a Career Orientation Test to Inspire more Girls into Cybersecurity
E-Financial2 days agoAfDB to Lend Nigeria $500m in Fresh Budget Support
Telecom2 days agontel Gets Fresh Capital Injection for 2026 Relaunch
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Releases New Guidelines, Caps POS Agent Daily Transactions at N1.2m
Telecom1 day agoChronicles Software unveils free SuccessBOX.ng platform for SS3 students, announces ₦10m reward scheme
E-Financial2 days agoFidelity Bank Hosts Black-Tie Gala Honouring Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah
E-Financial2 days agoReps Plan to Regulate Cryptocurrency, PoS Operations