E-Business
Safer Internet Day: ipNX Calls for Purposeful Collaboration Against Online Threats
On the occasion of the 2021 Safer Internet Day, leading Information and Communication Technology company, ipNX Nigeria, has called for collaboration amongst all relevant stakeholders towards attaining a safer and better internet in Nigeria and across the world.
Safer Internet Day is celebrated every second Tuesday in February to raise awareness on emerging online issues and concerns. It aims to create a safer and better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. This year marks the 18th edition of the day with the theme “Together for a better internet.”
In Nigeria, online threats range from phishing, bank verification number scams, fraudulent emails, hacking, spamming, attack on public Wi-Fi, business email compromise, cyber harassment, cyberbullying, catfishing, cyber predation of children amongst others.
A 2019 UNICEF poll shows that more than a third of young people in 30 countries reported being a victim of online bullying, and according to the report, online threat is on the rise. In the same vein, Cybersecurity Ventures projected a $6 trillion loss to cybercrime within and outside Nigeria by 2021.
Speaking on the need for purposeful collaboration to address cyber issues, Oluwaseun Oluboyo, the Chief Technology Architect, ipNX Nigeria, noted that now is the time, especially due to the deepening internet penetration and the growing number of young people on the Internet.
According to him, “Everyone has a role to play in achieving a safer and better internet for all. Parents and guardians need to act as digital role models for their children and wards and have honest conversations about positive internet usage. Young people need to be civil in their interactions and observe the rules of online safety.
Also, corporate organisations need to educate their staff and partners on safe communication and online practices such as proper digital hygiene in all correspondence to avoid information compromise, not opening email attachments from unknown parties, and the security of their devices and terminals. Overall, there is a need to equip people with digital literacy skills, empower them to make the right choices online, and promote positive content.”
On tips to stay safe on the web, Oluboyo said, “There are many things people need to do to stay safe online. Chief among these is keeping private and personal information out of the public domain as much as possible. It is equally important that all Internet users secure their network connections and keep their privacy settings on. They should steer clear of open Wi-Fi networks that could be harvesting their data.”
“Another worrying phenomenon is that the global pandemic might have created a fertile ground for catfishing, where people with evil intentions capitalise on increased physical separation to stalk and target innocent web users with fictional personas.
“Therefore, users must be cautious and vigilant when meeting people online. Similarly, reports of online predation are on the rise. Parents, guardians and caregivers are encouraged to protect kids by monitoring their online activities and improving their digital literacy skills to quickly spot predation. Lastly, on social media communities, interactions should be respectful at all times, and participants should be mindful that shared content can have very long lifetimes and future consequences,” he said.
Oluboyo called on policymakers to address the issue at policy level by ensuring that cybercrime laws are constantly updated and adequately enforced.
Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) experts at the 10th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2025 held recently, talked about supply chain attacks and reported that by the end of 2024 a total of 14,000 malicious packages were found in open-source projects, a 48% increase compared to the end of 2023. 42 million versions of open-source packages have been examined by Kaspersky throughout 2024 in search for vulnerabilities.
Open-source is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. Popular open-source packages include GoMod, Maven, NuGet, npm, PyPI, and others.
These are tools that power countless applications and help developers easily find, install, and manage pre-built code libraries, making it simpler to build software by reusing code others have written. Attackers take advantage of the popularity of these and other packages.
In March 2025, the Lazarus Group was reported to have deployed several malicious npm packages, which were downloaded multiple times before removal. These packages contained malware to steal credentials, cryptocurrency wallet data, and deploy backdoors, targeting developers’ systems across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The attack leveraged GitHub repositories for added legitimacy, highlighting the group’s sophisticated supply chain tactics. Kaspersky’s GReAT also found other npm packages related to this attack. Malicious npm packages could have been integrated into web development, cryptocurrency platforms, and enterprise software, risking widespread data theft and financial losses.
In 2024, a sophisticated backdoor was discovered in XZ Utils versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1, a widely used compression library in Linux distributions. Inserted by a trusted contributor, the malicious code targeted SSH servers, enabling remote command execution and threatening countless systems globally.
Detected before widespread exploitation due to performance anomalies, the incident highlighted the dangers of supply chain attacks. XZ Utils is integral to operating systems, cloud servers, and IoT devices, making its compromise a threat to critical infrastructure and enterprise networks.
In 2024, Kaspersky’s GReAT discovered that attackers uploaded malicious Python packages like chatgpt-python and chatgpt-wrapper to PyPI, mimicking legitimate tools for interacting with ChatGPT APIs.
These packages, designed to steal credentials and deploy backdoors, capitalised on the popularity of AI development to trick developers into downloading them. These packages could have been used in AI development, chatbot integrations, and data analytics platforms, endangering sensitive AI workflows and user data.
“Open-source software is the backbone of many modern solutions, but its openness is being weaponised. The 50% rise in malicious packages by the end of 2024 shows attackers are actively embedding sophisticated backdoors and data stealers in popular packages, which millions rely on.
“Without rigorous vetting and real-time monitoring, a single compromised package can trigger a global breach. Organisations need to secure the supply chain before the next XZ Utils-level attack succeeds,” comments Dmitry Galov, Head of Research Center for Russia and CIS at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into allegations that the confidentiality and integrity of candidates’ personal data may have been compromised by hackers.
The Commission initiated the inquiry following concerns over possible data breaches during examinations.
Preliminary findings indicate that several examination centres may not have implemented adequate technical and organizational measures to safeguard candidates’ personal information, as required under data protection regulations.
Although the incident reportedly affected 379, 997 candidates, the NDPC’s investigation is poised to cover a systemic audit of data processing and third parties.
It will be recalled that JAMB recently admitted that a technical error on its platform affected a total of 379,997 candidates in 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.
Further investigation led to the arrest of at least 20 suspects who are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force.
Cyber security firm, Kaspersky, has once again warned that sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target Africa as ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APTs) escalate across the region.
Speaking at the company’s annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, the cybersecurity firm’s Global Research and Analysis Team highlighted growing digital threats affecting African nations.
Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa emerged as hotspots, with Kenya recording one of the highest web threat incident rates at 20.1% in first quarter 2025.
“While ransomware is less prevalent in Africa due to lower levels of digitisation and economic constraints, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are seeing a sharp rise in attacks,” said Sergey Lozhkin, head of META and APAC regions at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky noted a 0.01 percentage point increase in African ransomware cases year-on-year, reaching 0.41%, still below global and Middle Eastern averages, but a troubling sign for the continent’s emerging digital infrastructure.
Experts warned that attackers are refining their tactics, shifting focus to unconventional entry points like IoT devices, smart appliances, and misconfigured hardware.
“As these economies expand digitally, sectors such as manufacturing, finance and government are becoming key targets,” said Lozhkin
The cyber-crime landscape is evolving quickly, fuelled by AI tools and dark web access to large language models, which enable less skilled actors to launch convincing phishing and malware campaigns.
Groups like FunkSec, which uses AI-generated code and a low-cost ransom model, are redefining ransomware operations.
“African organisations face the dual challenge of expanding digital footprints and limited cybersecurity awareness. This makes layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, real-time monitoring and regular staff training, essential,” stated Lozhkin
Kaspersky continues to monitor 25 active APT groups in the META region, including SideWinder and MuddyWater, some of which are known to target African institutions.
To bolster defenses, the firm recommends using tools such as its free Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business and the Kaspersky Next suite for threat visibility and response.
SEC Alerts Public on Silverkuun, Trending Dubious Investment Schemes
Glo, Huawei, Communications Ministry Bring Digital Services to Abuja Village
PalmPay Launches CSR Initiatives to Empower Women, Foster Financial Literacy in Northern Nigeria
Tripoint Travels Hosts Pre-GEC Brunch for Nigerian Delegates Ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2025
Africa Cross-border Payments Set to Hit $1 trillion by 2035
E-Financial2 days agoFidelity Bank Plc Wins 2025 DBN Innovation Award for MSME Support
E-Business2 days agoNigeria Among Hotspots as Kaspersky Warns of Rising Ransomware Threat in Africa
E-Business2 days agoNDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres
Telecom1 day agoMTN Nigeria Invests ₦900Bn in 2025 to Boost Network Quality in Lagos & Abuja
Telecom2 days agoVitel Wireless Completes Interconnectivity with all Major Telcos in Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoMTN inducted into Brand Africa Hall of Fame
General News2 days agoNigeria Approves $500m for AfDB’s Trust Fund Replenishment over Next 15 Years
Telecom2 days agoeBusiness Life Girls In ICT: Stakeholders Call For More Action On Girls Participation In ICT