Phishing Attacks in Nigeria Drop 13% in H1 2021

Image

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria recorded a 13 per cent decline in the number of phishing attacks recorded and blocked by Kaspersky for the first half of this year when compared to the same period of 2020.

The country emerged third behind first-place Kenya (48 per cent decline) and second-place South Africa (17 per cent decline).

The number of phishing attacks recorded in South Africa for the first half of 2021 stood at 1,031,006, while Kenya recorded 601,557, with Nigeria reporting 393,569.

According to the cybersecurity firm, while the decline does suggest and support research trends – that cybercriminals have become more targeted, focusing their efforts on advanced persistent threat (APT) campaigns in Africa – the phishing threat is still very prevalent.

With over two million attacks combined in the three countries, it highlights that phishing is still a significant threat in Africa and illustrates the importance of ensuring cybersecurity solutions are installed on all connected devices.

“This decrease is in line with global trends and supports the decline that Kaspersky research identified happening through the course of last year already.

“Of course, this does not mean that organisations and consumers can ignore the risk of traditional cybercrime attacks or that phishing, as well as spam, are still not of significant concern across Africa.

“Instead, people need to become even more aware of cybersecurity best practices and remain vigilant to protect their personal and business systems from the risk of compromise,” Mr Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa noted

“Phishing and spam remain some of the most effective ways of targeting unsuspecting users and gaining access into corporate systems or compromising personal financial and other information that can be used to perpetrate identity theft,” Mr Opil further said.

Phishing attacks across the continent have baited unsuspecting victims into handing over bank information, ID numbers, and more.

Cybercriminals have become even savvier with their tactics, embracing more sophisticated technology to lure people into clicking on things they should not. For instance, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout throughout Africa has given rise to ample opportunity for cybercriminals to carry out several attacks that are hidden in what, at first glance, may appear to be relevant information.

In addition to installing relevant cybersecurity solutions, individuals and businesses must consider use multiple email addresses. One can be for personal correspondence while another can be used for online shopping or social media.

Kaspersky also warned users to never respond to any spam as malicious users verify receipt and log responses of active email addresses.

In addition, users were instructed to always check the link and ensure the links start with HTTPS:// and not HTTP://.

They also warned against rush or panicking as scammers use such tactics to pressure users into clicking links or opening attachments.

Users were also advised to keep browser and operating system software up to date with the latest patches and use anti-spam filters in addition to antivirus and Internet security solutions.

Share
Related Stories
Image
10-October-2023

Koree Goes With $50000 Ecobank Fintech Challenge Prize

By Precious Olisa A Cameroon-based company, Koree, has emerged as the winner of the 2023 edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge, going home with a prize of $50,000. The firm was announced as the winner of the contest by the panel of judges during the competition’s grand finale at the bank’s headquarters at the Pan African Centre in Lomé, Togo. The organisations made it to the final from an initial pool of over 1,400 fintechs from 64 countries, underscoring the significant growth in popularity of the competition since its inception six years ago, as well as the wealth of innovation

Image
09-November-2023

Google Brings Generative AI to Search in Africa

On Wednesday, Google rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the SSA region as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs. This AI-powered experience is available in English. With new breakthroughs in generative AI, Google is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing these powerful new capabilities to Search in a bold and responsible way. This powerful new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that Search could not previously answer and transforms the way information is organized in Search to help people sort through and make sense of what’s out there. Improving Search with generative

Image
26-October-2023

How Businesses Can Navigate Inflation by Adopting Cloud Technology

By Kehinde Ogundare In recent years, the global economy has faced and continues to face numerous challenges, including a pandemic, war, climate change, and inflation. Businesses have had to adapt and find new ways of working to tackle these challenges. Nigeria is no exception. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, the annual inflation rate accelerated to 24.08% in July 2023, the highest since September 2005. This has affected everything from electricity tariffs to transportation, all crucial to the performance of Nigerian enterprises. Fortunately, by adopting the right technologies and using them the right way, enterprises can ensure that they’re

Image
11-December-2023

Airbus, BMW Introduce Quantum Computing Competition

By Modupe Gbadeyanka A global quantum computing competition called The Quantum Mobility Quest, designed to tackle the most pressing challenges in aviation and automotive that have remained insurmountable for classical computers, has been launched by Airbus and BMW Group. Business Post reports that registration for the challenge has commenced, with submissions to be accepted from mid-January through April 30, 2024, via www.thequantuminsider.com/quantum-challenge. The contest is hosted by The Quantum Insider (TQI) and divided into two parts, a four-month phase where participants will develop a theoretical framework for one of the given statements, and a second phase during which selected finalists

More Stories
Image
09-March-2023

CBN Approves Open Banking Guidelines to Boost Inclusion, Innovation

By Adedapo Adesanya The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the operational guidelines to open banking in Nigeria, kickstarting an open banking regime in Nigeria. The guideline was released via a circular by Musa Jimoh, the Director of the CBN’s Payments System Management Department, on March 7, 2023. According to its proponents, open banking will usher in a new age of financial inclusion and innovation and prove that Nigeria is a global pioneer in payments and financial services. The statement seen by Business Post said, “The Central Bank of Nigeria, in furtherance of a mandate for the stability of

Image
03-December-2022

Number of Meters Installed Under MAP Not Impressive—Jos DisCo

By Adedapo Adesanya The Jos Electricity Distribution Plc (JED) has decried the slow pace of meter provision to customers and has craved for more efforts toward achieving the metering goals of the company. The Managing Director of the Jos DisCo, Mr Abdu Mohammed, in a statement, said the slow adoption of the prepaid metering system was making things difficult for the organisation, which aims to bridge the metering gap. Speaking during a meeting with vendors handling the company’s Meters Asset Providers (MAP) programme, the energy expert noted that the firm plans to provide 400,000 meters to its customers. “If you

Image
22-October-2019

Airtel Gets NCC Approval to Reject Calls from Glo Subscribers

By Adedapo Adesanya Due to the failure of Globacom to settle its interconnect debts to Airtel, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted Airtel Networks Limited an approval to partially disconnect Globacom from its network. The partial disconnection will make it impossible for Glo subscribers to make calls to Airtel network but the arrangement is set up that can however, receive calls from the network. The disconnection is to take effect from Monday, October 28, 2019. Airtel would not be the first telecommunication company to accuse Globacom of not fulfilling its end of the bargain as MTN had earlier in

Image
29-June-2021

Adedoyin Praises Gbajabiamila Over Financial Responsibility

By Henry Ovie A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr Adeyinka Adedoyin, over the weekend extolled the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, for his unassailable character, visionary leadership and selfless service to humanity. “Femi Gbajabiamila is a selfless, pragmatic and humble leader,” Mr Adedoyin said. He also praised the presiding officer of the House of Representatives for seeking higher values such as justice, discipline and patriotism. In his message of congratulation on Mr Gbajabiamila’s birthday, the politician commended the National Assembly for making ministries and agencies in Nigeria to behave more

Image
21-March-2017

AMCON Finally Sells Keystone Bank to Consortium

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) has finally announced the new owners of Keystone Bank Limited. In a statement issued on Monday night, AMCON said the new owners of Keystone Bank are Sigma Golf Nigeria Limited and Riverbank Investment Resources Limited (the Sigma Golf–Riverbank consortium). “We are pleased to announce Sigma Golf Nigeria Limited and Riverbank Investment Resources Limited (the Sigma Golf–Riverbank consortium) as the new investors in relation to the acquisition of the entire issued and fully paid up ordinary shares of Keystone Bank Limited,” AMCON said. According to the statement signed by AMCON’s Head of

Image
15-November-2018

GCR Affirms Rating on UBA’s N345b Series 1 Notes

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Global Credit Ratings has affirmed the national scale long term credit ratings of A(NG) accorded to Series 1 Notes issued under United Bank for Africa Plc’s N345 billion Medium Term Note Programme A statement issued by the local rating agency disclosed that the rating was accorded with stable outlook and is valid until September 2019. It was disclosed that the accorded rating is supported by UBA’s established franchise, significant domestic market share (being one of the top-tier banks in Nigeria) and status as a systemically important bank. Further rating support is derived from the bank’s risk appropriate

Image
09-June-2017

5 Students Get 100% Score in Cowbellpedia Qualifying Exam

By Modupe Gbadeyanka No fewer than five students got 100 percent score in the March 19, 2017 qualifying examination for this year’s Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show conducted by the National Examination Council (NECO). Out of the five, two came from Lagos State and were both from the junior category. The two students are Miss Monyei Cynthia, 14 years old, of Good Shepherd Comprehensive Secondary School, Meiran, Lagos; and Master Fuad Alaka, 13 years old, of Federal Government Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos. The other students with perfect score in the junior category are Master Adeyanju Oluwafemi,

Image
13-April-2018

Seplat Takes NSE Index Back to Green Zone, Gains N33.20k

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) reversed the bearish closure yesterday to finish bullish today after Seplat led the gainers’ chart. The equity market closed the last trading day of the week in the green zone, appreciating by 0.30 percent to inflate the YtD gain to 7.02 percent. The All-Share Index (ASI) increased at the Friday’s transactions by 120.22 percent to settle at 40,928.70 points, while the market capitalisation went up by N43.4 billion to close at N14.784 trillion. Business Post reports that Seplat added N33.20k to its share value today to wrap the day at N698.30k per

Ad
Ad
Recent Stories
Image
11-December-2023

AI, Bandwidth Capping, Others Influencing Africa’s Creative Space—Opeoluwa Filani

In a captivating dialogue at the annual conference tagged Art of Technology Lagos 5.0, held at Landmark Event Centre Lagos, on Thursday, 7 December 2023, Opeoluwa Filani, General Manager, Showmax Nigeria, took the stage to offer insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of Africa’s creative economy. The annual tech conference, curated by the Eko Innovation Centre and sponsored by the Lagos State Government, explored the symbiotic relationship between creativity and technology. As the lead discussant of the first plenary session themed Monetization of the Creative Economy Leveraging Technology, Filani noted that the combination of creativity and technology presents a vision

Image
11-December-2023

Airtel Nigeria Gets Recognition for Empowering Women in Technology

By Modupe Gbadeyanka An award has been presented to Airtel Nigeria by the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) for its significant contribution towards fostering opportunities for women and girls in the tech sector. WTEC, a notable beneficiary of Airtel’s corporate social responsibility initiative, Touching Lives Season 6, honoured the leading telecommunications firm in Nigeria at its 15th anniversary dinner on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at La Chaumiere Restaurant in Lagos. The organisation said it was impressed with Airtel Nigeria’s dedication towards the advancement of technology in the country. Highlighting the positive influence of Airtel Nigeria’s intervention, the chief executive of

Image
11-December-2023

LASTMA Fires Five Officials for Unethical Practices

By Bliss Okperan No fewer than five officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been dismissed for unethical practices. The affected traffic controllers were fired after they were found guilty of the allegations of corrupt practices levied against them. A panel was established to look into the allegations against seven members of the agency, but the five were recommended to the Lagos State Civil Service Commission for dismissal, while the two others were reprimanded. Confirming the development, the Director for Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, said in a statement that, “While five

Image
11-December-2023

CBN Suspends Processing Fees on Cash Deposits

By Bliss Okperan The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all deposit money banks (DMBs), other financial institutions and non-bank financial institutions to suspend taking the processing fees from customers for large cash deposits. The central bank gave this directive via a circular dated Monday, December 11, 2023, signed by its Acting Director of Banking Supervision, Adetona Adedeji. The CBN, under its former chief, Mr Godwin Emefiele, introduced charges on large cash deposits in a bid to discourage the use of cash and embrace cashless through digital money transfers. But the current Governor of the central bank, Mr Yemi

Image
11-December-2023

UN Wants $46.7bn to Assist 180 million People in 2024

By Bliss Okperan The United Nations (UN) has said it needs about $46.4 billion next year to bring life-saving help to around 180 million people in desperate circumstances around the world. The UN on Monday said the wider Middle East, Sudan and Afghanistan were among the hotspots that also needed major international aid operations. The global humanitarian outlook for 2024 was “bleak”, with conflicts, climate emergencies and collapsing economies “wreaking havoc” on the most vulnerable, adding that the size of the annual appeal and the number of people it aims to reach were scaled back compared to 2023, recorded a

Image
11-December-2023

5 Ways to Win Big In Access Bank 12 Days of December Promo

It’s that time of year again! The season of giving is here and Access Bank is dialing up the festive cheer with the much-anticipated AccessMore 12 Days of December campaign. Brace yourself for an extraordinary opportunity as 100 fortunate customers stand a chance to pocket N10,000 shopping vouchers daily, from December 1 to December 12, 2023. Prepare to unwrap joy as Access Bank transforms the spirit of giving into a twelve-day celebration unlike any other! Now, picture yourself as one of the lucky individuals to benefit from the 12 Days of December campaign. Here are five ways you can join

Image
11-December-2023

Tinubu Leaves Abuja for Maiduguri

By Bliss Okperan President Bola Tinubu on Monday morning departed Abuja for Maiduguri, the Borno State capital the Nigerian Army Annual Conference as a special guest of honour. Mr Tinubu left the seat of power from the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. It is his first visit to the North-Eastern region of the country since assuming office on May 29, 2023, from former president Muhammadu Buhari. The event will include an address to the troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, an inspection of the ongoing Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Maiduguri, and

Image
11-December-2023

CBN Says Nigerian Banks Remain Resilient Amid Rumours of Failing CAR

By Adedapo Adesanya The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assured stakeholders in the country that Nigerian banks remain resilient following widespread media reports that commercial banks in the country had failed the bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) for international authorisation. CAR compares the risk-weighted assets of a bank with the available capital that Nigerian banks possess. For instance, when faced with challenging financial conditions, the ratio offers a quick and easy way to determine whether or not a bank has sufficient money to cover losses and continue to keep its solvent status. In a statement on Monday, the apex

Image
11-December-2023

27 Pro-Wike Rivers Assembly Lawmakers Defect to APC

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The legislators won elections into the state parliament in 2023 through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, following a political crisis between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Wike, the 27 lawmakers attempted to impeach the Governor, which was botched. President Bola Tinubu had to intervene in the matter and asked Mr Wike and Mr Fubara to maintain peace. Last week, a video of the Minister singing the popular

Image
11-December-2023

EXCLUSIVE: Touch and Pay Targets Contactless Payments for Danfos, Others

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigeria-based fintech, Touch and Pay (TAP), which processes microtransactions across Africa, such as paying for bus journeys, is planning on making it easier for users of public transportation popularly called Danfo to begin paying fares using its near-field technology (NFC) products. This was disclosed by Mr Micheal Oluwole, the co-founder and chief growth officer of the company, who noted that the $50,000 prize money it won at the Ecobank Fintech Challenge in 2022 has helped the company focus on its core target of helping Africans process cash-based transactions digitally as well as advancing the country’s cashless policy