General
ISACA Warns on Vulnerabilities of Remote Work to Cyber Attacks
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) has warned Nigerians working from the comfort of their homes to be wary of possible cyberattacks, which are rampant at vulnerable periods.
According to Director, Research and Marketing of ISACA, Abuja Chapter, Mr Ime Udoko, there are increased threats of attacks to people who have adopted the Remote Work Model (RWM)
Mr Udoko said on Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged the use of RWM by businesses and institutions, but warned that if precautionary measures were not taken, they can be easily attacked by cyber criminals.
“The RWM model mandates organisations’ personnel to connect remotely to their respective offices to do their work and access business emails and applications using home devices.
“Unfortunately, most often, home devices are not protected by the corporate firewalls and anti-phishing security controls.
“Most times, connections are made using home routers which are ungoverned, browsers on many computers provided by companies hold sensitive information like User identities and passwords.
“Already, attackers find these as easy targets to gain remote credentials and perform malicious logins to corporate network.
“With the low level of security awareness, phishing campaigns through email makes employees at home a soft and easy target,” Mr Udoko said.
He further said that many believed that connections to corporate networks in the Work From Home model were done through Virtual Private Network (VPN) and were secured but said private networks could be manipulated and could be damaging.
He recalled that even by the disruption of COVID-19 era, there were already some disturbing statistics about Nigerian internet space by the Threat Intelligence Reports of CheckPoints, an institution monitoring cyber threats globally.
“Typical organisations in Nigeria with internet presence is being attacked 1,292 times per week in the last six months compared to 411 attacks per organisation globally.
“88 percent of the malicious files targeting institutions in Nigeria were delivered through emails, compared to 66 percent of malicious files globally.
“The most common vulnerability exploit type in Nigeria is Remote Code Execution (RCE) which is impacting 70 percent of organisations in the country,” he recalled.
The ISACA Research Director said that COVID-19 had changed business model and this had made it susceptible to a double rate of attacks which could be blamed on low cyber risks awareness level.
He added that the attacks stated by CheckPoints were being launched on organisations operating 90 percent physical model and less than 10 percent cyber dependence.
He advised that government, private institutions should consider setting up a Cyber Risk Management team to evaluate all possible risk scenarios, ensure adequate Information Technology resources to support staff.
“Companies should invest more on creating awareness on the do’s and don’ts while working from home, ensure employees’ devices comply with organisations’ internal policy, have up-to-date security software and security patch levels.
“Ensure all the corporate business applications are accessible only via encrypted communication channels, ensure Data at Rest (DAR) on employee laptops are encrypted to protect against unauthorised disclosure in the case of theft or devise loss.
“Where possible, get full protection from credential theft through phishing or social engineering as well as malware, exploits, ransom ware, and other email-delivered threats, by investing in relevant services.
“Safeguard access to application portals through the use of multi-factor authentication mechanisms, vet Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) such as personal laptops or mobile devises from the security standpoint,” Mr Udoko stated.
He also advised institutions to ensure policies for responding to security incidents and personal data breaches were in place to the knowledge of the staff.
According to him, the processing of personal data by the employer in the context of remote working should be in compliance with the local legal framework on data protection such as Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR).
Mr Udoko said that employees should be discouraged from sharing the virtual meeting URLs on social media or other public channels, adding that unauthorised third parties could access private meetings and breach business confidentiality.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Saturday confirmed the killing of a senior ISIS leader, Mr Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, in an overnight operation carried out by the United States and Nigeria.
President Donald Trump had earlier announced the elimination of the notorious terrorist via a post on his Truth Social.
Later, in a statement today, Mr Tinubu praised the action, describing it as “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.”
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” he said in the statement.
According to him, early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
He commended the partnership between Nigeria and America in waging war against terrorists, thanking his US counterpart “for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation,” the Nigerian leader added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is set to strengthen its defence architecture by deploying artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems and advanced anti-drone technology as part of efforts to modernise the country’s military capabilities, according to the Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Musa.
He disclosed this during a high-level visit to Monaco, where he led a Nigerian delegation to conclude discussions on the multi-domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project.
According to Mr Musa, the initiative is designed to enhance border security, protect urban centres and improve the country’s response to emerging security threats.
The project is expected to introduce AI-driven surveillance systems capable of identifying threats rapidly through smart algorithms, while anti-drone technology will be deployed to intercept and neutralise unmanned aerial threats.
The government also plans to establish national and regional command-and-control centres to improve real-time coordination and response to security incidents across the country.
Mr Musa said the initiative would place strong emphasis on technology transfer and local capacity development through the establishment of a military Centre of Excellence in Nigeria.
He added that the federal government would leverage partnerships with international firms, including Marss UK Ltd, while simultaneously building indigenous capabilities to address insurgency, illegal mining, piracy and other security threats.
Nigeria has continued to battle multiple security challenges in recent years, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West, farmer-herder clashes in the North-Central region, crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria is stepping up its defence as the border region of Nigeria, Benin and Niger on the southern edge of the Sahel region is becoming a new stronghold for jihadists, as militants turn forests and pastoral networks in West Africa into bases for recruitment and international attacks.
Attacks in Nigeria have also risen, with data from the website of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict-monitoring group, affirming that the number of suicide bombings in Nigeria by March already matched the annual average over the past six years.
The Nigerian military has also been dealt a blow to its military bases and senior figures targeted. In April, Brigadier-General Oseni Omoh Braimah was killed when Islamist fighters attacked a base in Borno State.
To also meet the defence goal, Nigeria is stepping up efforts to build domestic arms-manufacturing capacity.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria and Morocco are set to sign a major intergovernmental agreement later this year to push forward the long-delayed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, a multi-billion-dollar energy corridor expected to reshape gas trade across West Africa and Europe.
The agreement, expected to be signed in the fourth quarter of 2026 by President Bola Tinubu and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, follows the completion of preliminary technical studies for the ambitious project, according to officials from both countries.
The pipeline, also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, is projected to stretch about 6,900 kilometres along offshore and onshore routes across West Africa, making it one of the largest gas infrastructure projects on the continent.
With an estimated cost of $25 billion, the pipeline is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually once completed.
Discussions on the project gained fresh momentum during a telephone conversation between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Moroccan counterpart, Mr Nasser Bourita.
The project would not only strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries but also improve regional economic integration and expand Africa’s access to European energy markets.
According to Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency, ONHYM, part of the gas supply will support Morocco’s domestic energy demand, while large export volumes will be directed to Europe.
The project, first proposed about a decade ago, is seen as a strategic alternative gas supply route amid rising global energy security concerns and Europe’s search for more diversified energy sources.
Beyond the pipeline, Nigeria and Morocco are also exploring broader economic partnerships, particularly in fertiliser production and distribution to support food security across Africa.
Both countries also agreed on the need to revive the Nigeria-Morocco Business Council to strengthen trade and investment relations under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
Analysts noted that the project could significantly boost gas monetisation opportunities for Nigeria, expand regional infrastructure development, and deepen economic ties between West African nations and Europe if successfully executed.
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