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.ng Domain Registrations Hit 18, 870 in December

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Mary Uduma, president, NIRA
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Although, the month of December 2014 recorded a drop in the .ng domain name purchase activities by the registrants, so far, as at December 31, 2014, there were 18,870 domain names registered.

According to Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), domain names are not popular gift items, hence there was also a slight decrease in the number of domain names renewed in the same month mainly due to the Christmas and New Year festivals and celebrations.

Interestingly, there was a remarkable increase in the transfer window. This could be traced to entrance of new registrars.

Additional 1,503 domain names were registered, with renewal of 820 domain names and transfer of only 106 domain names.

The total activities of .ng domain names in December 2014, was less than in the month of November 2014. So far this year, as at December 31, 2014, there were 18,870 domain names registered.

The number of NiRA Accredited Registrars remained at 47, with some applications for Registrar registration undergoing processing.

Speaking on the activities of the Association’s activities in the year under review, Mrs. Mary Uduma, the president, said that despite not meeting the set target in 2014 in terms of domain name registrations, the Association witnessed good year with increase in awareness of .ng domain names and domain business in Nigeria.

She said, NiRA saw a growth in the number of Registrars and domain names and setting the stage for more growth in all spheres of the domain name business in Nigeria.

According to Uduma, “NiRA participated in many awareness programmes/ events and hosted events geared at publicity awareness of .ng domain names and .ng ccTLD. NiRA hosted the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) in June 2014 and also had the opportunity of hosting Africa in Abuja in July 2014 during the ‘Africa DNS Forum’”.

“NiRA participated actively in the Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) in July 2014 and eNigeria all hosted in Abuja, ‘Nigerian Content Consultative Forum’ at Bayelsa, ‘Standard for IT Park’ at Enugu hosted by NITDA and numerous other progammes in the bid to continue creating the awareness of the .ng ccTLD and its operations. NiRA was also at ICANN, AFTLD, IGF and GITEX events last year.

“NiRA entertained students of Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Katsina State, provided support at ‘Kano ICT Quiz 2014 with CITAD’, ‘Next CEO Youth Empowerment’ at LASU, ‘Global Hope and Justice for the Less Privileged at the training of Nigerian Youths with disability on ICT’, ‘Digital Peers International Programme- Agricultural Transformation using ICT’ and many other numerous local programmes”.

She described the growth of NiRA and domain names as very paramount.

Uduma said, “With the commitment and efforts of NiRA Board of Trustees, Executive Board members, staff, Registrars and Registrants, targets were set to increase the number of domain names and the accreditation of registrars. Reasonable increases and progress were made in the .ng domain name business. Even though the growth of NiRA is commendable, the journey is still far from being the best Registry in Africa”.

She added that he Association is competing in a global market and is set to work more vigorously throughout 2015 and in years ahead towards realizing set goals.

“We will not relent. We shall continue to strive for greater achievements and with God on our side and the support of the industry, we shall get there. NiRA remains committed to the growth of .ng domain names and putting forth our best efforts towards growth of the .ng ccTLD and providing the needed support to our teeming Registrars and by extension to our Registrants”.

She said that NiRA is geared to listening to industry forces and paying attention to global trends and would expand our sales to include opening up other zones and release of two letters word domain names to the public. Also we intend to reduce the number of premium domain names and pleaded industry stakeholders continued support to their programmes.

 

 


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E-Business

Kaspersky Warns of a New Phishing Technique Leveraging Bubble, a no-code AI Platform

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Kaspersky has discovered a new phishing tactic used to evade traditional security controls that exploits Bubble, a platform that allows users to build web and mobile applications through a visual interface without writing code.

Attackers are increasingly adopting innovative tools designed for legitimate software development and repurposing them to boost phishing campaigns.

Traditional phishing attacks often rely on malicious links or obvious redirection techniques, which are typically flagged and blocked by modern security systems.

However, attackers are now leveraging Bubble’s no-code environment to generate intermediary web applications which are hosted on Bubble’s legitimate infrastructure and trusted domains such as *.bubble.io, which improves their credibility and helps them bypass security filters.

These applications function as disguised redirectors, silently forwarding victims to malicious credential-harvesting websites.

In the observed campaign, victims were ultimately redirected to a convincing imitation of a Microsoft login page, protected by a Cloudflare verification layer designed to further obscure malicious intent.

This technique is likely being integrated into broader phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms and phishing kits. These kits enable a wide range of malicious capabilities with ready-made tools, including real-time interception of session cookies, driving phishing campaigns through legitimate services such as Google Tasks and Google Forms, and carry out adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks that can bypass multi-factor authentication.

They also support the generation of phishing emails using AI, implement geo-filtering and anti-detection mechanisms to evade security crawlers and are often hosted on reputable cloud services like AWS to avoid blacklisting.

“The use of legitimate platforms like Bubble introduces a new level of trust abuse, making it harder for both users and automated systems to distinguish between safe and malicious content. This significantly increases the likelihood of credential theft, unauthorised access and potential data breaches,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.

 

 


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NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

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Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.

NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.

The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.

The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.

With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.

This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.

Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.

These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.

Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.

The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.

Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.

 

 


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FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  – Minister

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Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.

FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  - Minister

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy

The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.

He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.

Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.

He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.

“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.

Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.

According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.

“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.

Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.

Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.

 

 


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