Connect with us

News

Nigeria’s Financial, Telecoms’ Firms Hit by 586,130 Cyber Attacks in Six Months

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Cybervergent, a cybersecurity-focused technology company, at the weekend released its half year cyber threat report on the activities of hackers that focus their attacks on Nigeria’s financial institutions and telecoms companies, revealing how it detected 586,130 attacks on organisations that it manages in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Financial, Telecoms Firms Hit by 586,130 Cyber Attacks in Six Months

The attacks mostly external, were monitored from January to June 2024.

Among the 586,130 attacks launched on various organisations, Cybervergent was able to resolve 226,103 of the attacks by automation, while 19,920 endpoints were protected by Cybervergent.

According to the report, events analysed by Cybervergent’s Security Operations Centre (SOC), reached 304,522, while all potentially malicious events analysed by Cybervergent within the same six months period, reached 42,200.

Analysing the report, Mr. Gbolabo Awelewa, chief solutions officer at Cybervergent, said with the increasing threat in cyberspace, organisations must ensure that regular application and systems updates are carried out on existing applications and systems to prevent the attacks at scale.

“As we move forward, our Cyber Operations Centre remains steadfast in its mission to anticipate, detect, and thwart evolving threats that seek to compromise the integrity of digital assets. With a deep understanding of the threat landscape and a relentless pursuit of innovative security solutions, we are poised to continue our unwavering defense of the financial sector and other industries’ digital landscape, safeguarding organisations’ trust and confidence in the face of ever-changing cybersecurity challenges,” Awelewa said.

Highlighting the threat actors that targeted Nigeria in the first half of the year, Awelwewa listed them to include: Gelsemium, Equation Group, Lyceum, Gamaredon, Circus Spider, Mirage, Common Raven, Bronze Highland, Earth Krahang, as well as Insider Threat Syndrome.

According to him, Gelsemium is a sophisticated cyber espionage group known for its targeted attacks on high profile organisations across various sectors.

“They use custom malware and advanced techniques to evade detection, and their target is on public administration, educational services and national security,” he said.

Awelewa described the different types of insider threats to include: Disgruntled Employees, Accidental Insiders and Negligent Insiders. He explained that motivated by anger, financial gain, or a feeling of being benched, the disgruntled employee could inflict serious damage, while accidental insiders are those that capitalise on mistakes of others to launch an attack on the organisation.

He said the negligent insiders are those that reveal their credentials to others or forget to lock their laptops when leaving the office, advising on staff duty rotation and compulsory leave for all staff.

The report highlighted cybersecurity trends that organisations and institutions must tackle in the second quarter of 2024 as Zero-Day Exploits, where hackers exploit unknown vulnerabilities before anyone can patch them; Cloud Security Focus, since every organisation and institution is moving to the cloud; Cybercrime as-a-service, which allows hackers to launch frequent attacks; and Ransomware Surge, with attackers likely to use more sophisticated encryption and sneaky tactics to avoid detection and maximise the impact, including insider threats.

 


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

News

Aliko Dangote Signs out @ Dangote Sugar Refinery as Chairman

Published

on

Aliko Dangote
Kindly share this post

In a major leadership transition, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (DSR) has announced the retirement of  Aliko Dangote, its founder and chairman, from the Board, effective June 16, 2025.

Aliko Dangote Signs out @ Dangote Sugar Refinery as Chairman

Aliko Dangote

The announcement was made in a regulatory filing with the Nigerian Exchange Ltd on June 11, highlighting the company’s commitment to sound corporate governance and structured succession planning.

In a statement signed by Mrs. Temitope Hassan (FCIS), company secretary and legal adviser, the Board praised Dangote’s extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions to the company.

“Alhaji Aliko Dangote is one of the founding Directors of the Company and has served with exceptional leadership, integrity, and vision since 2005,” the statement read.

“Under his stewardship, Dangote Sugar Refinery transformed significantly, navigated industry changes, consistently delivered value to shareholders, and upheld strong governance principles.”

Widely regarded as Africa’s most influential industrialist, Dangote led DSR’s evolution into a dominant player in Nigeria’s sugar value chain.

His strategic initiatives, particularly the Backward Integration Projects (BIPs) across Adamawa, Taraba, and Nasarawa States, advanced the company’s self-sufficiency goals and aligned with the federal government’s national sugar master plan.

While stepping down from DSR, Dangote will continue as President of Dangote Industries Limited.

His legacy at DSR is marked by industrial innovation, strategic foresight, and sustained operational excellence.

To ensure a seamless transition, the Board has appointed Mr. Arnold Ekpe, a seasoned independent non-executive director, as the new chairman, effective June 16.

Ekpe is renowned for his tenure as Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, where he championed pan-African financial inclusion and institutional growth.

His extensive experience in banking and corporate governance is expected to strengthen DSR’s next phase of development.

The leadership change signals continuity of vision, with DSR reaffirming its focus on operational efficiency and long-term value creation in a dynamic market.

For shareholders and industry observers, Dangote’s exit from the Board marks the end of a transformational era—one defined by bold ambition and strategic execution—while opening a new chapter under Ekpe’s leadership.

 

 

 

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

Report Reveals New Malware Posing as an AI Assistant Steals User Data

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis Team researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.

The previously unknown malware is delivered via a phishing site pretending to be the official DeepSeek homepage that is promoted via Google Ads.

The goal of the attacks is to install BrowserVenom, a malware that configures web browsers on the victim’s device to channel web traffic through the attackers servers, thus allowing to collect user data – credentials and other sensitive information. Multiple infections have been detected in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa and Egypt.

DeepSeek-R1 is one of the most popular LLMs right now, and Kaspersky has previously reported attacks with malware mimicking it to attract victims. DeepSeek can also be run offline on PCs using tools like Ollama or LM Studio, and attackers used this in their campaign.

Users were directed to a phishing site mimicking the address of the original DeepSeek platform via Google Ads, with the link showing up in the ad when a user searched for “deepseek r1”.

Once the user reached the fake DeepSeek site, a check was performed to identify the victim’s operating system. If it was Windows, the user was presented with a button to download the tools for working with the LLM offline. Other operating systems were not targeted at the time of research.

After clicking on the button and passing the CAPTCHA test, a malicious installer file was downloaded and the user was presented with options to download and install Ollama or LM Studio.

If either option was chosen, along with legitimate Ollama or LM Studio installers, malware got installed in the system bypassing Windows Defender’s protection with a special algorithm.

This procedure also required administrator privileges for the user profile on Windows; if the user profile on Windows did not have these privileges, the infection would not take place.

After the malware was installed, it configured all web browsers in the system to forcefully use a proxy controlled by the attackers, enabling them to spy on sensitive browsing data and monitor the victim’s browsing activity.

Because of its enforcing nature and malicious intent, Kaspersky researchers have dubbed this malware BrowserVenom.

“While running large language models offline offers privacy benefits and reduces reliance on cloud services, it can also come with substantial risks if proper precautions aren’t taken.

Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the popularity of open-source AI tools by distributing malicious packages and fake installers that can covertly install keyloggers, cryptominers, or infostealers.

These fake tools compromise a user’s sensitive data and pose a threat, particularly when users have downloaded them from unverified sources,” comments Lisandro Ubiedo, Security Researcher with Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

Court Declares Bank’s Withholding of Retirement Benefits Unlawful

Published

on

Kindly share this post

National Industrial Court in Lagos has ruled that a deposit money bank must pay over N162 million in outstanding retirement benefits to a group of its former employees.

The judgment, delivered by Justice R.H. Gwandu, criticized the bank’s attempt to withhold entitlements from staff employed through third-party arrangements.

The claimants, represented by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, argued that the bank violated labor laws by refusing to honor their retirement benefits. They sought declarations that the bank’s actions were unlawful and requested immediate payment of their dues.

Justice Gwandu ruled in favor of the employees, stating that the use of third-party employment to evade obligations was unacceptable.

The court acknowledged their long service and dismissed the bank’s argument that they did not meet the required 15 years of uninterrupted service.

Notably, the court upheld the rights of the 10th claimant, who continued working with the bank after its merger with Manny Bank and another commercial institution.

This landmark ruling reinforces workers’ rights and establishes that organizations cannot use outsourcing arrangements to deny employees their legitimate benefits.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending