E-Business
The Evolving Threat Landscape: Top Cybercrime Trends Organisations Should Take Note of in 2023
By Emmanuel Asika
The cyber threat landscape continued to evolve last year, with malevolent players joining forces more than ever before, exchanging access to networks and systems, sharing malware and sharpening their attack methods.
Such heightened collaboration, coupled with the low cost of malware – three-quarters of malware kits cost less than ₦7,000 – are further triggering cybercrime to be more accessible.
The implication being that more devices and end-users will be vulnerable to being under attack in 2023, and as cyber criminals intensify attempts to access enterprises – these systems, PCs and printers will be at the forefront.
These challenges, for cyber-security experts, will be intensified by the growing economic slump and uncertainties. As cybersecurity spending is set to increase by 13.2% in 2023, cost projections will be under critical observation, with emphasis on the most important cybersecurity demands.
With tough impending decisions, below are four cybersecurity trends that institutions must plan for in 2023:
- Increasing costs can prompt an inflow of cyber hustlers and money mules, powering the cybercrime economy and leaving users at risk
The increase in the cybercrime gig economy, with its swing to platform-based business models, has made cybercrime simpler, affordable, and more dynamic.
Cybercrime devices and mentoring services are readily available at low costs, luring cyber hustlers – adherents with little technical skill – to access needed information to make gains.
With an impending global downturn, easy access to cybercrime tools and skills could enhance the number of scam SMS messages and emails filling our inboxes.
Lured by the potential of quick money, there is a likelihood of seeing more recruits into money-muling schemes, unintentionally encouraging the cybercrime ecosystem as enablers of fraudulent transactions, money laundering, and perhaps ransoms payments.
The interrelated nature of the cybercrime gig economy means that threat actors can easily make money from email compromise attacks.
If they find a victim and succeed by compromising an enterprise device, they can market that access to bigger ransomware gangs. This gives structured groups of hackers more reach, hence feeding into the cybercrime ecosystem.
With increasing attacks against users, embedding security in all devices from the hardware will be significant to prevent, detect and recover from attacks.
Adopting a robust security culture is key for building resilience, however, only when combined with technology that decreases an organization’s attack interface. A whole group of threats can be eradicated without relying on detection by isolating risky activities like malicious emails.
Threat containment technologies in this case ensure that if a user opens a malicious link or attachment, the malware can’t infect any data. With this model, businesses reduce the propensity of malicious attacks and protect employee interests without compromising their workflows.
- Notorious hackers will invest in more attacks below the operating system.
Until recently, firmware attacks were only used by sophisticated threat groups and countries.
However, just last year, early signs revealed an increased interest and development of attacks below the operating system – from tools to hack BIOS passwords, to rootkits and trojans targeting device’s firmware. Today, we now see firmware rootkits advertised relatively cheaply on cybercrime marketplaces.
As one would expect, sophisticated threat actors are always looking to stay one step ahead in terms of their attack capabilities. Unfortunately, firmware security is frequently disregarded by organizations, giving room for adversaries to attack and exploit.
Access to the firmware level allows attackers to gain persistent control and hide below the operating system, making them very hard to detect – let alone remove and remediate.
As such, organizations and individuals must ensure they understand industry best practices and standards for device hardware and firmware security.
Additionally, organizations must further endeavour to understand and evaluate the latest technology readily available to protect, detect and recover from firmware attacks.
- Remote access equipment will be on the forefront for attacks
Session hijacking is anticipated. The year will witness a growth in popularity – where an attacker hijacks a remote access session to obtain an organisation’s sensitive data and systems.
The user is characteristically unsuspecting that anything malicious has happened and takes milliseconds to inject key sequences and issue commands that generate an alternative gateway for persistent access.
It works even if Privileged Access Management (PAM) systems employ Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), such as smart cards.
When a malicious attack links to Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) running factories and industrial plants, there could also be a noticeable impact on operational readiness and safety – possibly cutting off access to energy or communication for entire areas.
The only way of preventing these kinds of attacks is breaking the attack chain and strong isolation technology, either through using a physically separate system, like a Privileged Access Workstation (PAW), or virtual separation, via hypervisor-based approaches.
- Neglect print security at your risk in 2023
Presently, print security is endangered by the constant tendency to be a neglected factor of the total cybersecurity environment and with more printers connected to corporate networks due to hybrid working, the risks keep increasing. Institutions need to structure security policies and processes for monitoring and protecting print gadgets from attacks, at home and in the workplace.
The challenge is the risk telemetry coming from end points, including printers, is growing by the day. Consequently, we will see institutions concentrate investments on solutions and services delivery that provide functional intelligence rather than merely delivering more security data.
Tackling increasing threats
This year, organisations must be intentional with their security approaches. Often, security glitches start at the endpoint, hence, by embedding protection in these devices, businesses can lessen the burden on their security unit.
Regardless of the threats institutions face in 2023, it is apparent that the tactics we deploy to protect devices and data has to change.
The key consideration here is strategic resource allocation, and the security teams need to recognise the specific areas of the business that are most susceptible to threats, and that would be most impacted in the event of a breach.
It is also vital to have a layered approach to security which will allow institutions to execute isolation, gain actionable intelligence, isolation and more, whilst helping to lessen their attack surface and maintain safety of key data.
Emmanuel Asika is Country Head for Nigeria, at HP
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s data management space have stressed the need for the government, as well as businesses to deliberately harness available data for national development.
Ayodele Bakare, the head of the National Development Division at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), speaking at the data governance conference in Abuja, said that as a country it was time for Nigeria to leverage data as a means to social and economic prosperity.
He explained that to be able to maximise the value of data, organisations must possess a data governance structure, which is a subset of data management. This, he said includes knowing the right methodology to gather data, clean it up, storing, processing, data protection, transmission and most importantly to be able to derive knowledge and intelligence from it.
“If Nigerians can effectively manage its data, then definitely, more investment will come to Nigeria. And again, if you’re looking at investment, you need to have the right strategy to manage your data to ensure that you can be innovative and also be creative.
“So once you have that in place, then definitely you will have more investment pouring into the country. Good decisions must be data driven, must be sufficient and must be accurate, with the right technology to mine knowledge from such data,” he said.
The conference themed: ‘Harnessing Data Governance for National and Regional Development’ was organised by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) and Baze University.
In his remarks, Adedeji Adeniran, the Director of Research, at CSEA, noted that as a continent, Africa has missed out on past industrial revolutions, adding that how available data is processed including Artificial Intelligence (AI), will shape the next industrial revolution.
He said, “And if Africa will benefit from this industrialisation, one very critical thing is we need to be part of that global value chain. We can’t just be consumers, we need to be part of the producers.
“And for you to be a part of the producers group, you actually need to be creating something. And that really sets out an enabling environment for data and data innovations. That’s why data governance is critical.”
For Fatima Sani, Legal Officer, Strategy, Partnerships and Communications Department of the NDPC, Nigeria in 2023 enacted the Data Protection Act to ensure that data are protected, adding that one key aspect of data governance is data security and data privacy.
The NDPC, according to her had recently launched a strategic roadmap and action plan that identified five key pillars ranging from governance, human capacity development, collaboration and cooperation, funding and sustainability, ecosystem and technology.
“We have licensed data protection compliance organisations. We have just launched a national certification process. Notably, we are a member of the Global Privacy Assembly, which is made up of 130 data protection authorities worldwide. We are also a member of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities in Africa,” she added.
By Amar Subramanya, VP of Engineering, Gemini
Every day, we learn about how people are using Gemini to be more productive, creative and curious. And with today’s update, Gemini is getting better at helping you accomplish those tasks in ways that work best for you.
You can now access 1.5 Flash in the unpaid version of Gemini for faster and more helpful responses. Plus, we’re introducing a new feature to further address hallucinations, and expanding our Gemini for Teens experience and mobile app to more places.
Faster, smarter responses with 1.5 Flash
We’ve heard that one of the main reasons people enjoy using Gemini is because it saves time. Whether you’re using Gemini to write a compelling email or debug tricky code, it’s important to get fast, high-quality responses.
Today we’re upgrading our free-tier experience to Gemini 1.5 Flash for quicker and more helpful responses. With Gemini 1.5 Flash, you’ll notice across-the-board improvements in quality and latency, with especially noticeable improvements in reasoning and image understanding. And just like we greatly expanded the context window of Gemini Advanced, we’re quadrupling Gemini’s to 32K tokens. That means you can have longer back-and-forth conversations and ask Gemini more complex questions — all free of charge.
To get the most out of the larger context window, we’ll soon add the ability to upload files via Google Drive or directly from your device, which has been available in Gemini Advanced. That means you’ll be able to do things like upload your economics study guide and ask Gemini to create practice questions. Gemini will also soon be able to analyze data files for you, allowing you to uncover insights and visualize them through charts and graphics.
Gemini 1.5 Flash is now available to all Gemini users on both web and mobile, in 40 languages and over 230 countries and territories.
Related content within Gemini’s responses
We’ve also heard that people enjoy exploring new topics with Gemini as their go-to research partner. So we’re now displaying links to related content for fact-seeking prompts in Gemini – continuing our work to reduce hallucinations and making it easier to explore websites that help you learn more.
Starting today for English language prompts in certain countries, you can access this additional information on topics directly within Gemini’s responses. Just click on the chip at the end of a paragraph to see websites where you can dive deeper on a certain topic. This isn’t limited to websites: If Gemini’s response references information found using the Gmail extension, you’ll also see inline links to relevant emails.
This also builds on our work to combat hallucinations. In addition to related content links, Gemini’s double-check feature verifies responses by using Google Search to highlight which statements are corroborated or contradicted on the web. For information that is contradicted, you can easily dive deeper to verify the information yourself.
Gemini features in more places
Earlier this year, we introduced the ability to chat with Gemini directly in Google Messages on select Android devices. Starting today, we’re gradually rolling out Gemini in Google Messages to the European Economic Area (EEA), UK and Switzerland, with the ability to chat in newly added languages like French, Polish and Spanish. Click the “Start chat” button in Messages and select Gemini to start brainstorming ideas, plan trips and more — all without leaving the Google Messages app.
We’re also rolling out the Gemini mobile app to more countries, so more people around the world can get help from Gemini on the go.
Expanded access to Gemini for teens
In the coming week, we’ll expand Gemini access to teenagers globally, in over 40 languages. Teens who meet the minimum age requirement to manage their own Google Account will be able to access Gemini to do things like better understand school subjects, prepare for university or get help with creative projects.
We want to create opportunities for teens to benefit from all generative AI has to offer and prepare them for a future where AI will play an even more central role — all while prioritizing safety and meeting their developmental needs. To help them navigate Gemini confidently and safely, we’ve put additional policies and safeguards in place, introduced a teen-specific onboarding process, and included an AI literacy guide to help teens use AI responsibly. We’ve also partnered with child safety and development experts, including MediaSmarts (CA), Miudos Seguros na Net (PT), and Fad Juventud (ES), who continue to provide expertise on meeting the unique needs of teens and families.
How we responsibly design Gemini
Gemini’s development has always been guided by a commitment to responsibility and user safety. As it continues to evolve, we’re sharing more about how we design Gemini and intend for it to respond. You can now read about our approach to Gemini, plus more details about our policy guidelines to better understand how we’re navigating complex and sensitive topics, including responses to topics related to public interest issues, and political, religious or moral beliefs. These guidelines, grounded in our AI Principles, reflect our ongoing commitment to developing this technology responsibly and transparently.
Look out for more Gemini news coming at Made by Google. In the meantime, start chatting with Gemini today to try out these updates.
Cofinity Group, which has been in the data center market for over 15 years, has signed strategic channel partnership agreements with Africa’s largest data centre operators.
Ayotunde Coker, chairman of the Africa Data Centres Association,
According to the firm, these include PAIX Data Centres, Rack Centre, Raxio, and Digital Realty, which includes Digital Realty’s African subsidiaries iColo, Teraco, and Digital Realty Nigeria.
Cofinity said these data centre providers operate in 11 countries and account for more than 75% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP.
According to the company, the rate of technological adoption and digitisation in Africa is growing, necessitating the need for highly secure data centre facilities with reliable levels of power availability, redundancy, and connectivity.
“We have had the privilege of working with the leading data center providers in Africa and we are confident that enterprises will benefit from our deep knowledge and streamlined commercial processes,” said Ray Lawless, president of Cofinity Group Inc.
Ayotunde Coker, chairman of the Africa Data Centres Association, commented: “Cofinity Group’s initiative is further evidence of the surging demand in Africa for the services of data center companies.
“We welcome Cofinity Group Inc’s role in bringing together key sectors, such as Fintech, with data center providers in Africa, continuing the transformation of Africa’s digital infrastructure and accelerating economic growth.”
In a statement, Cofinity pointed out that its extensive experience in various markets, as well as close relationships with these data centre operators, provides an opportunity to assist enterprises looking to migrate to a quality colocation data centre solution in Africa.
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