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Flaming the Next Global War
Nigeria moved from 66th in 2011 to 59th in the Symantec global internet security threat report volume 17, indicating that the country is becoming more prone to cyber attacks.
Also, last week Dr. Hamadoun Toure, Secretary General of the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU), urged nations to seek “peaceful resolution” in cyberspace to prevent a possible threat of global cyber war.
The ITU is the United Nations organ charged with the responsibility to co-ordinate sharing of communication infrastructure across the world. The union has since May been following a new global trend of cyber warfare engaged by unspecified nations against perceived enemy’s strategic economic targets.
Even as the ITU head was warning nations, the report came that over 150 million users of the social networking site, LinkedIn have had their passwords compromised.
Dr. Toure’s statement last week follows a new internet worm called ‘Flame’ said to be capable of taking out entire strategic national facilities in enemy territory. He noted that the Flame was too powerful to be created by an individual hacker.
“All indications are that Flame has been created by a nation state, that’s clear. The ITU is not mandated to make a judgement on who is responsible. Our role is to work with partners to promote better co-operation,” said Toure.
The ITU chief was emphatic stating that: “There is a risk of cyber war – but it’s not necessary. That’s what we’re trying to do – prevent. We’re saying the best way to win a war is to avoid it in the first place.
“As the UN, of course we are interested in making sure there is a peaceful resolution, and a peaceful approach to this.
“Our role is first to co-ordinate international efforts – not only sharing knowledge, but also training people, especially from developing countries because we want to avoid one country being a weak link in the whole process.”
Talking about countries “being a week link” in the emerging global cyber war, Nigeria does appear to be one and we don’t even know it.
Sheldon Hand, Symantec Territory Manager for West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands (IWECA) region said nations become more prone to worm attacks as their economies grow healthy balance sheets.
Nigeria is among top three Africa economies and is projected to overtake South Africa as the continent’s leading economy in another three years. “As nations become more wealthier; as their economic prospects get brighter, hackers look into these countries to see what they could gain out of them,” said Hand.
Nigeria’s main economic stay is in the oil and gas sector with huge installations spread across the nation. These industrial installations could become vulnerable to cyber attack should anyone get angry with her rising global economic profile.
The origin of the Flame is not yet determine although a lot of speculations point to the United States’ targeting Iran’s nuclear installations like in previous attacks.
In 2010 a computer worm called Stuxnet was discovered. It was initially spread through MS Windows, and its target was installations of the German telecom giant, Siemens.
Stuxnet also infected programmable logic controller (PLC) and was thought to have originated from Israel, with Iran’s nuclear facilities as principal target.
Following on the heels of Stuxnet was Duqu, which was identified last September by experts at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Their analysis of Duqu indicates it shared similar characteristics with Stuxnet, with a slightly different operational mode.
“The main component used in Duqu is designed to capture information such as keystrokes and system information.”
Dr. Toure noted that the agency was making efforts to ensure that nations engage in peaceful cyber interactions and not war.
“We’re trying to see that there’s a global effort to keep cyberspace free of politics, ideology and especially free of criminals,” said Toure.
Hand also noted that small and medium businesses (SMBs) struggle to cope with cyber attack. “50 per cent of SMBs don’t have a disaster recovery plan. 81 per cent of SMBs consider their companies’ data as most valuable asset. 71 per cent of small businesses that suffer cyber-attack never recover. It’s fatal.”
The global spam attacks also show there are four main malware trends: malware attacks are 81 per cent on the rise, targeted attacks are on the increase, mobile threats provide more vulnerability to a larger population and data breaches are on the rise.
What should Nigeria do in the face of a growing global trend? To engage in cyber-warfare? Transform into a more knowledge base economy and get prepared for the war? The best defence to any attack is your ability to attack your opponent at its most critical point.
Nigeria should not seat back and claim we don’t have high volume industrial facilities that would combat enemy cyber-attack. A worm targeted at the nations’ petroleum installations which include petro-chemical facilities, refineries, fertilizer plants and liquefied natural gas fields would be disastrous.
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Bolt Hosts Second Edition of ‘Bolt Driver’s Football League’ to Foster Unity and Inclusion
Bolt, a leading ride-hailing platform, continues to strengthen its bond with driver-partners by hosting the second edition of its ‘Bolt Driver’s Football League’ in Lagos on Wednesday.
The second edition tournament, themed “Fostering Unity and Inclusion”, aimed to enhance the relationship between Bolt and its driver-partners. The event underscored the platform’s commitment to the well-being of its drivers, recognising the essential role they play in the ride-hailing ecosystem.
Organised in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, OneHealth by AXA, Oraimo, and Mycovergenius, the event was a resounding success.
Bolt driver-partners from various locations across Lagos participated enthusiastically in the mini football tournament. The event featured knockout matches between four teams formed by the drivers, showcasing their sporting skills in a spirit of camaraderie and healthy competition.
In addition to the football matches, the event offered a safe and enjoyable playground for the children and families of the drivers. They spent the Democracy Day holiday engaged in games, activities, and entertainment, making the event a memorable occasion for all attendees.
Giving the opening remarks, the Director of Public Transport and Commuter Services (PTCS), Engr. Olusoji Adebayo said, “I would like to thank Bolt for organising this brilliant initiative.
“It is indeed an opportunity for Bolt drivers to meet and relate with transport regulators in an atmosphere that encourages cohesion and exchange of ideas, challenges and solutions that is peculiar to Bolt drivers in Lagos State.
“I hereby express my sincere appreciation for the efforts of the Bolt team for organising this event which is important to portray and ensure an attitude of excellence and professionalism among the e-hailing operators in Lagos State.”
Speaking at the event, Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Country Manager said, “We believe in fostering a strong sense of community and building meaningful relationships with our drivers. Through initiatives like this, we are not just a ride-hailing platform; we are a supportive and vibrant community that values the contributions of our drivers.
“Together, we are driving towards a future of excellence in service and driver empowerment. I am thrilled to witness the incredible comradeship and passion displayed by our drivers today. This event exemplifies Bolt’s unwavering commitment to driver engagement and satisfaction”
Weyinmi Aghadiuno, Acting Head of Regulatory & Policy Africa at Bolt, expressed enthusiasm about the event, saying, “We are thrilled to host this novelty football competition as a way to bring our driver community together in a spirit of unity and inclusion.
“Our drivers are the backbone of our service, and this event is our way of showing appreciation for their hard work and dedication. By creating opportunities for our drivers and their families to connect and engage in a fun, relaxed setting, we aim to strengthen the bonds within our community and celebrate the diversity that makes us stronger.”
The event concluded with the presentation of medals and trophies to the top three teams, along with outstanding prizes for participants. The winning team received a cash prize of N500,000 plus an additional N200,000 from the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation.
The runner-up team was awarded N350,000 plus an additional N150,000 from Oraimo, while the third-place team received N250,000. In total, the cash prizes amounted to 1.3 million naira. Additionally, exciting prizes were won by female drivers and other attendees during the raffle draw.
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UEFA EURO 2024: PalmPay Partners iLOT, BetWay, BetCorrect, AccessBet and BetKing, Unveils Bet and Win Big Promo
This UEFA EURO ‘24 football season, leading fintech platform, PalmPay, brings loads of excitement for its users in partnership with iLOT, BetWay, BetCorrect, AccessBet and BetKing to unveil the Bet and Win Big promo.
From June 14th to July 15th, 2024, users can deposit in their betting wallets and stand a chance to win an iPhone 15 Pro and share in millions of cash prizes.
How to Play and Win
- Download the PalmPay App: If you haven’t already, download the PalmPay app from your app store.
- Deposit and Win Draws: Deposit a minimum of N2,000 to get a 1 draw chance. You can earn up to 5 draw chances in total. The more draw chances mean a higher probability of winning the coveted iPhone 15 Pro.
- Accumulate and Share Cash Prizes: Make accumulated deposits of N500,000 or more over the campaign period. Users with total deposits of N500,000 and above will share millions in cash prizes.
The bigger your accumulated deposits, the bigger your share of the cash prizes..
For more information and updates about the promo, follow PalmPay follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook for more information.
Consumers show their loyalty for their preferred Brands in the ongoing voting for brands based on market experiences that is scheduled to close on 30th September 2024. In over 40 categories listed based on consumers nomination, Brands are contending for the top spots based on consumer preference.
The ongoing voting process is transparent and can be seen by anyone as the data is available on the consumer value awards website. In the telecommunication category (MNOS), MTN takes the Top spot having 46% of consumers vote in the category, Spectranet leads the Internet Service Provider Category with 80% of votes.
In the Table Water Category CWay overtakes Eva water who was the leading brand in the last month with Cway now having 37% of the vote in the category. This shows how competitive the voting is.
Some other brands have also moved up to be in the top spot in their categories, brands like fearless with 55% of vote in the Energy Drink category, Reload Multivitamin with 64% of vote in Multivitamin Infant category, cowbell with 55% vote in the Milk Skimmed Powdered category among others.
Akonte Ekine, Chief Executive Officer BrandXchange and Convener Consumers Value awards said the consumers are validating brand promises and it is a reward for promise kept hence the badge of honour from the Consumers which shows brand appreciation and a call to brand to wake up to the challenges of the economy and innovate to attend to the rising cost of living.
He commended the consumers for participating in the vote and call on more consumers to vote for brands as the closing date of 30th June is fast drawing near.
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