E-Business
How 20-Year Old Nigerian Attacked 4,000 Organizations Worldwide
An international hacking campaign targeting thousands of oil, mining and construction firms sounds like the work of a sophisticated criminal operation.
The scale of such an endeavour suggests it would need extensive resources and manpower, potentially even nation-state backing.
But a newly uncovered cyberattack that targeted more than 4,000 organisations in the oil and gas, mining, construction, and transportation sectors has been found to have been carried out by a 20-year-old man in Nigeria.
The lone attacker successfully hacked into the networks of at least 14 organisations, including a marine and energy company in Croatia, a transportation company in Abu Dhabi, a mining company in Egypt, a construction company in Dubai, an oil and gas firm in Kuwait, and a construction organisation in Germany.
Using a remote access Trojan and a keylogger, the attacker stole login credentials and financial information from these companies.
The fact that attacks were targeted at financial staff working in specific regions and sectors — energy and transportation firms in Europe and the Middle East — and the use of a phishing email lure claiming to be from oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco, initially led researchers to believe the campaign was the work of a well-organised group.
But researchers at Check Point investigating the attack found this wasn’t the case.
“We realised this was just one person, because of the technical analysis of the malware and the C&C communications, we realised it was a criminal, not a nation state conducting espionage,” Maya Horowitz, head of research for Check Point, told ZDNet.
And unlike professional hacking gangs, the culprit has very poor operational security, allowing researchers to identify him and monitor his actions.
“You can see holes in the phishing emails themselves and there are holes all over the infrastructure,” Horowitz said.
Put simply, the phishing emails are crude and unconvincing, with spelling errors, generic subjects and the target referred to as ‘Sir/Ms’. The mass-mailed messages ask users to download an attachment, which asks for macros to be enabled then installs two forms of malware — both of which are freely available on the web.
Victims end up infected with Netwire, a remote access Trojan that allows the attacker to gain full control of infected machines, and Hawkeye, a commercially available form of keylogging software. While both forms of malware are relatively simple, they’ve enabled the attacker to steal banking and other credentials, and earn thousands by stealing from accounts and selling on credentials.
While they’ve managed to infiltrate a number of large organizations, the perpetrator is far from a cybercriminal mastermind. Indeed, he has not even made much of an effort to cover his tracks and has even discussed his actions on Facebook.
“He’s not very techie, but he’s on a Facebook group of several Nigerian hackers where they exchange tactics and techniques,” said Horowitz.
Attacks using phishing to infect machines with malware are gaining in popularity, she added, and are replacing the infamous 419 scams of old. “The same people who ten years ago were only able to send Nigerian Prince scams today they can just rent malware and send it to whoever,” said Horowitz.
“It’s the same people, with the same technical skills, but now this whole market works more like a business where you can just buy or rent your tools online as malware-as-as-service. In this case it’s not even on the dark web, it’s just on the internet,” she added.
The increasingly availability of malware-as-a-service — or freeware such as Netwire and Hawkeye — means it’s easier than ever for budding cybercriminals to get in on the action. However, in many cases, the attacker doesn’t have the knowledge to take the necessary steps to hide themselves.
In the case of this individual, Check Point has shared its findings with Nigerian police and international agencies in order to stop future attacks and arrest the culprit.
Those organisations that have already fallen victim to the attacks will need to take extra security precautions, because it’s likely log-in credentials and other sensitive information have been sold on to criminals who could use them to perform further attacks.
Ultimately, the phishing emails used in this attack were very basic but nonetheless fooled employees in the target organisations. Horowitz stressed the importance of companies making employees aware what these emails look like and the threats they pose.
“These attacks can be prevented, nobody has to be infected with this malware,” said Horowitz.
“Fourteen organisations were hit but there’s no reason they should have, because with proper security measures and — more importantly — education and awareness, these emails shouldn’t have got into the systems.”
Bloomberg has released its second annual “25 African Startups to Watch” list, underscoring the growing influence of venture-backed innovation across the continent.
Published thursday, the list highlights companies building solutions in “environments where infrastructure or systems have failed to deliver.”
The featured start-ups build solutions to challenges such as accessing healthcare in Chad, moving goods in Kenya, securing loans in South Africa, and safeguarding borders in Nigeria.
Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya jointly lead with four companies each, reflecting the ongoing strength of Africa’s three most visible start-up ecosystems.
The 25 companies span 13 countries and sectors including healthcare, fintech, security, climate resilience, waste management, and transport.
Nigeria’s four startups are 10mg Health, Remedial Health, Sycamore and Terra Industries, covering areas from healthcare financing and pharmaceutical supply chain integrity to digital lending and defence technology.
South Africa’s contingent includes Omnisient, Amesect, AURA and Jem. Omnisient uses grocery purchase data and AI to extend credit to those outside traditional financial systems.
Kenya’s notable four include Zeraki, a school-data analytics platform partnering with Safaricom to reach secondary students across the country.
According to Bloomberg, a defining theme this year is the source of funding.
Nearly half of the total capital raised by these start-ups came from African investors, marking a shift from previous years when international capital predominantly drove early growth.
International backers such as 8VC, controlled by Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, and Google continue to see value in investing in African companies, Bloomberg noted.
The report also highlights that start-ups across the continent almost doubled their debt fundraising in 2025, even as equity financing from venture capital firms declined.
Separately, the Start-up Ecosystem Report 2026 states that Kenya has overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s top startup investment destination, attracting $984 million in 2025.
Jennifer Zabasajja, Bloomberg Television’s chief Africa correspondent and anchor, highlighted the dual significance of the list, the variety of solutions being built and the growing role of African-sourced capital in backing them.
She noted that the list comes at a consequential moment, one shaped by global disruptions, from the conflict in Iran to sweeping cuts in US foreign healthcare assistance, that have made the case for African-owned capital more urgent than ever before.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission has warned that the growing misuse of personal data and digital platforms could undermine Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
NDPC
The warning was delivered during the 2026 Press Week organised by the FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer, NDPC, who was represented by Itunu Dosekun, head of Media Unit at the commission, said disinformation and unlawful exploitation of personal data posed serious threats to credible elections.
The event had the theme: “2027 Election: Defending Democracy in the Era of Disinformation.”
Dosekun said the struggle for credible elections was no longer confined to polling units, noting that digital platforms had become major channels for manipulated narratives, fake news, propaganda and AI-generated misinformation.
According to him, the rapid growth of social media platforms, messaging applications and data-driven political campaigns has created vulnerabilities capable of influencing voter perception and weakening public trust in democratic institutions.
He warned that the abuse of personal data for political profiling and psychological targeting had become one of the most dangerous threats facing democracies worldwide.
“The misuse of citizens’ personal information carries serious social implications, especially for vulnerable groups who may not fully understand how their data is harvested, processed and weaponised online,” he said.
Dosekun noted that coordinated disinformation campaigns could inflame ethnic tensions, spread fear and discourage civic participation, particularly among young Nigerians.
He described the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, as a critical legal framework aimed at protecting citizens against unlawful data processing and digital exploitation.
According to him, the law gives Nigerians greater control over their personal information while placing obligations on organisations, institutions and political actors to handle data responsibly.
Dosekun also called for stronger collaboration among political parties, media organisations, technology firms, civil society groups and citizens to promote responsible digital behaviour ahead of the elections.
He stressed the role of journalists and media professionals in combating fake news, fact-checking information and safeguarding public discourse.
According to him, protecting personal data should not only be seen as a privacy issue but also as a democratic responsibility necessary for maintaining public confidence, national stability and electoral credibility.
Stakeholders at the event emphasised the need for improved digital literacy, stronger regulation and increased public awareness to prevent the abuse of digital platforms during future elections.
Anthropic, artificial Intelligence company, has said that it has secured sixty-five billion dollars in a new funding round, raising the company’s valuation to about nine hundred and sixty-five billion dollars.
The development places the company ahead of its rival, OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, which was valued at about eight hundred and fifty-two billion dollars earlier this year.
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees and led by Dario Amodei, chief executive officer, has emerged as one of the leading firms in the global Artificial Intelligence industry.
The company is widely recognised for its advanced coding capabilities and generative AI models, particularly its AI assistant known as Claude.
Unlike some competitors focusing mainly on general consumers, Anthropic has concentrated on delivering AI solutions to enterprise and business clients.
The company also says it places strong emphasis on AI safety while expanding its products and services amid growing competition in the sector.
Krishna Rao, chief financial officer of Anthropic, said the new funding would support the company’s research efforts and help meet rising global demand for its AI technologies.
Reports indicate that the investment round attracted major Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.
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