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PAICTA, Check Point Software Partner to Provide Inclusive Access to Cybersecurity Skills Across Africa

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The Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA), an organisation that advocates for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), young people, women, and people with disabilities by creating an integrated and inclusive society through integrated digital platforms, has partnered with Check Point® Software Technologies, a provider of cybersecurity solutions globally.

The collaboration with Check Point SecureAcademy will enable PAICTA to distribute Check Point cybersecurity training material to tertiary institutions across Africa as both organisations work towards bridging the skills gap that exists for these professionals.

PAICTA was established in 2020 with the mandate of addressing the digital challenges faced by SMEs, youth, women, and persons with disability.

The organisation aims to contribute towards a transformed digital economy led by African youth-owned, empowered women, people with disabilities, and SMEs that will eradicate poverty through the availability of jobs and technology innovation.

“This partnership supports the Check Point vision of upskilling more people and creating job opportunities. As a global organisation, it is imperative to partner with local organisations who can engage with the communities that Check Point can support and offer training to.

“PAICTA is the perfect partner due to their incredible networks in Africa with government and tertiary education facilities,” says Charnie-Lee Adams Kruger, SADC Country Manager at Check Point Software Technologies.

Check Point will provide PAICTA with access to training and instructors online who are Check Point learning and training experts. This will give the universities who are working with PAICTA the means to ensure their lecturers are certified and empowered to train students themselves. University students and faculty members will also be able to access Check Point cybersecurity training online for free.

PAICTA will ensure the dissemination of Check Point training throughout Africa, especially to the tertiary institutions currently not providing cybersecurity courses.

Once faculty members at these institutions complete their basic CCSA (Check Point Certified Security Administrator) certifications, the opportunities to undergo advanced Check Point training in different areas are virtually limitless.

“In Africa, more than 50% of the youth is unemployed, according to data portal, Trading Economics. Digital skills development is therefore a critical building block to grow communities and economies.

PAICTA was established to help close the digital divide. With partnerships such as the one we have in place with Check Point, we advocate for equitable access to cybersecurity training regardless of age, ethnicity, language, education, and socio-economic status,” says Sonwabo Mdwaba, Founder and President of PAICTA.

Additionally, PAICTA is running internships for learners in South Africa with 46 pupils having already completed their Check Point courses. PAICTA has also introduced a sign up page for those interested in taking Check Point online courses here.

“From software development and cybersecurity to IT change management skills, the youth across Africa can find opportunities in the SMB sector.

This is where the focus must fall to enhance the skills and empowering them to become entrepreneurs and grow this vital sector of the continent’s economy. Check Point provides a perfect starting point especially when it comes to getting essential cybersecurity skills in place,” says Prof Nobert Jere, a board advisory member of PAICTA.

Check Point is wholly committed to not only equality, but providing all people regardless of race, colour, gender, and sexual orientation with access to cybersecurity training that has become critical to employability in the digital world.


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E-Business

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

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Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

 

China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.

The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.

“Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.

The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue to target systems which have not installed its security updates.

It added that it would update its website blog with more information as its investigation continues.

Microsoft said it had observed attacks in which hackers had sent a request to a SharePoint server “enabling the theft of the key material by threat actors”.

Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting firm, a division of Google Cloud, told reporter, it was “aware of several victims in several different sectors across a number of global geographies”.

Carmakal said it appeared that governments and businesses that use SharePoint on their sites were the primary target.

A number of adversaries who stole material encoded by cryptography were then able to regain ongoing access to the victims’ SharePoint data, he said.

“This was exploited in a very broad way, very opportunistically before a patch was made available. That’s why this is significant,” Carmakal said.

Carmakal said the “China-nexus actor” was deploying techniques similar to previous campaigns associated with Beijing.

Microsoft said Linen Typhoon had “focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defence, strategic planning, and human rights” for 13 years.

It added that Violet Typhoon had been “dedicated to espionage”, primarily targeting former government and military staff, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, higher education, the media, the financial sector and the health sector in the US, Europe, and East Asia.

Meanwhile, Storm-2603 was “assessed with medium confidence to be a China-based threat actor”.

 

 

 


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NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued a public warning that it is not associated with NINcard.com.

NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

According to the commission, the website has been circulating online to offer services for Nigerians seeking National Identification Number (NIN) services.

NIMC, in a post on its official X account on Wednesday, said, “NINcard.com is not in anyway affiliated to NIMC. Stay vigilant!”

The warning was accompanied by screenshots of fake payment receipts and OTP request pages from the website, both of which were boldly stamped “FAKE” by NIMC to alert the public.


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NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

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National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with the Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API), has convened a one-day workshop in Abuja to advance dialogue on the draft Online Harm Protection (OHP) Bill to confront harmful online content.

NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

The bill, a rights-based, locally rooted, and multi-stakeholder initiative, is aimed at addressing the challenges of the digital age.

The event, which held yesterday, brought together government officials, civil society, academics, digital platforms, and legal experts to shape a policy framework designed to combat online ills such as cyberbullying, disinformation, hate speech, digital exploitation, and gender-based violence, while safeguarding democratic freedoms and digital inclusion.

In his keynote remarks, Kashifu Inuwa, director general, NITDA urged a paradigm shift in the way society engages with digital technologies.

“For almost two decades, we have viewed digital technology through a consumer lens. But these technologies are not just products and services. They are transforming how we live, work, and interact. They shape our politics, our society, and our democracy,” he said.

Warning against unaccountable digital power in the hands of private corporations, the DG likened the digital journey to the tale of Alice in Wonderland, where initial fascination with innovation has given way to deeper concerns about privacy, autonomy, and manipulation by big tech platforms.

“We thought we were using Google, but now we realise Google is using us. Social media, once a tool of expression, has become a tool of surveillance and influence,” Inuwa noted.

He, therefore, emphasised the urgency of developing a democratic and accountable framework.  He explained that following the 2021 Twitter ban, NITDA facilitated dialogue between the government and platform operators, leading to a Code of Practice that stressed Nigeria’s sovereignty and legal standards.

According to him, the same process birthed the multi-stakeholder steering committee and the OHP White Paper in December 2024, laying the foundation for the current legislative push.

Earlier in her opening remarks,  Victoria Manya, co-founder, API, observed the moral and civic necessity of the bill.

Her words: “The internet did not break society, it merely revealed its unfiltered version. Every day, Nigerians are exposed to harassment, disinformation, exploitation, and even algorithmic violence. The OHP Bill is not a war on the Internet. It is a peace offering to its users, a social contract for a digital future that is safe, inclusive, and democratic.

“We cannot answer the question of algorithmic power with unchecked state control. We must answer it with shared, rights-based governance. This bill must not be written for the people, but with them.”


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