E-Business
How and Why Cyberoam Released CYREN Internet Threats Report is Serious
Although the third quarter of 2014 was dedicated to celebrity account hackings and corporate data breaches, by the end of the quarter, it was clear that no system is perfect with the announcement of the Shellshock bug affecting the BASH shell.
Cyber criminals also used global tragedies, such as Ebola and airline disasters, to further enhance their phishing, spam, and malware distribution efforts.
Cyberoam, in collaboration with its partner, CYREN brings you a detailed report with recent web malware and spam trends for the third quarter (Jul-September 2014).
According to the report, the Apple iCloud celebrity data breach made news, but in the wake of the same, CYREN attempted looking a little deeper into the cybercrime targeted at the Apple device market.
CYREN analytics observed an increase in Apple users being targeted.
One prominent message the celebrity phishing-photo scandal left behind was that Apple users are an increasing target for scams and hacking.
While the iOS and OSX operating systems still remain relatively safe, more and more individuals globally are buying Apple devices and using Apple services, which could account (in part) for the increased targeting of Apple users.
There are currently more than 800 million Apple IDs in use.
Over 300 million individuals hold iCloud accounts, giving them access to 5 GB of online storage, as well as email, calendar, and photo stream.
And, phishing attacks are at least three times more likely to be successful on a smart phone than on a desktop or laptop.
On top of increased phishing, CYREN noted that Apple initiated a new email alert campaign shortly after the celebrity attacks.
It informed Apple iCloud users that their Apple ID was recently used to sign into an iCloud account. While the email is entirely legitimate, it provided scammers the opportunity to imitate an official large-scale email campaign.
The report also discusses Apple iPhone6 adware scams.
The Bash-Shellshock SHELLSHOCK Bug
The report identifies the Bash-Shellshock bug as another story of importance in Q3.
Shellshock exploded on the scene this quarter, making headlines in major newspapers and security blogs.
Discovered by a French security expert in mid-September and disclosed publicly in late September, it has been deemed by many as the “world’s most dangerous Internet security bug.”
CYREN detected Shellshock attacks using the “CGI-based web server attack” technique through a specially crafted HTTP cookie header request field.
Attackers have also used other HTTP request header fields such as ‘User-Agent,’ ‘Accept,’ ‘Referer’ and ‘Host’ to inject the malicious Bash commands.
Tragedy Drives The Headlines
Apart from the Apple scams and Shellshock bug, Cybercriminals also used global tragedies, such as Ebola and airline disasters, to further enhance their phishing, spam, and malware distribution efforts.
A simple click through the leading news websites tells a sad story: More Ebola Victims. Expanding War in the Middle East. Death, Floods, Famine. The list goes on.
The use of “sensationalism” to promote a headline or sell an item is nothing new.
And, in the third quarter, hackers put this technique to good use.
Other highlights from the Q3 2014 CYREN Internet Threats Trend Report included malware and spam trends, top spam topics, as well as a ranking of the top zombie producing countries.
Cyberoam Technologies, a Sophos Company, is a global Network Security appliances provider, offering future-ready security solutions to physical and virtual networks in organizations with its Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) and Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances.
The virtual and hardware Cyberoam Central Console appliances offer Centralized Security Management options to organizations, while Cyberoam iView allows intelligent logging and reporting with one-of-their-kind, in-depth reports.
Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.
Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.
Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.
According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA, also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.
According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.
“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”
Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.
The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.
XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.
This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.
AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.
“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.
Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.
But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.
In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.
Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.
Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.
Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.
The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general, National Identity management commission (NIMC) has said that the commission is set to register 95 percent of Nigerians into the National Identity Database before December 2025.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote,, DG, NIMC
She made this statement at a press briefing to highlight the commissions goal aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly on digital governance and inclusive development.
The mass enrollment drive will be powered by a combination of improved infrastructure, expanded registration centres, and robust public sensitization campaigns.
As of May 2025, NIMC reports over 120 million Nigerians have been enrolled, and about 100 million more would be captured by December.
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