E-Business
IBM Unveils New Enterprise Intelligence Analytics to Fight Cybercrime as Losses Hit $445Bn
IBM has unboxed a new solution that provides deep analysis across hundreds of terabytes of disparate data to uncover hidden criminal activity in just seconds.
The solution unveiled at the ongoing IBM Insight 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA is a high-speed analysis and criminal investigation software that is designed to uncover hidden criminal threats buried deep inside massive volumes of disparate corporate data.
IBM i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis (EIA) can find non-obvious relationships masked within hundreds of terabytes of data and trillions of objects in just seconds.
By fusing together these multiple data sources, organizations can gain complete visibility into threats across the enterprise, giving companies the ability to transform how they protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Organizations across industries face endless threats from cybercrime and other criminals in pursuit of private customer information, employee records, financial data and intellectual property.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that cybercrime costs the global economy $445 billion each year.
But companies are overwhelmed with an increasing volume and diversity of data to protect, giving cybercriminals the ability to hide their covert activity for months after an attack.
The proliferation of connected devices and machines – from mobile phones to smart cars to remote oil rigs – only compounds the problem by opening new avenues for criminals to penetrate the enterprise.
Operating at high speeds and massive scale, i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis accelerates the data-to-decision process by uncovering new insights into criminal threats against the enterprise that intelligence and security analysts might otherwise not have realized for days, weeks or months later. EIA analyzes huge amounts of disparate data to discover weak-signal relationships that reveal the true nature and source of an attack.
The solution unravels these hidden connections that can be divided by as many as six degrees of separation between disparate sources – from corporate records and social media chatter to data accessed by remote sensors and third-party applications.
As developments unfold, EIA provides always-on recommendations that proactively alert analysts to new related abnormalities at the speed of attack.
For example, consider a national retailer that hasn’t yet realized hundreds of its customers’ credit card account numbers have been stolen and sold on the black market.
Any illegal transactions can be easily lost in the noise of typical day-to-day activity – such as a transaction denial, a billing dispute or multiple purchases at the same store.
But when connected together, EIA can immediately spot commonalities that reveal the specific store branches that were breached.
This insight allows the retailer to take action before millions of accounts are compromised and any significant damage is done.
“Organizations can’t afford to take a reactive approach to cyber defense, nor can they do it alone. The speed of threat is too great, and today’s attackers are far more technically advanced, proficient and organized than ever,” said Maria Vello, president and CEO of The National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA), a non-profit role model organization for collaboration, information and resource sharing between public and private organizations in the fight against cybercrime.
“Threat analysts and investigators need the ability to look at every possible data set and relationship – no matter how distant or unrelated they may seem – and be able to make key associations and correlations in seconds. The new IBM i2 offering is an impressive tool in its ability to quickly analyze these massive data sets in near real time to paint a complete picture of the threat.”
Built on IBM Power Systems, IBM i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis can complement existing security or fraud solutions with additional features, such as:
Enhanced visualization capabilities: With multi-dimensional visual analytics, investigators can gain a better understanding of an attack by visualizing a comprehensive situational overview of all possible related elements for a more easily digestible viewpoint.
Open, modular architecture that scales as needs change: IBM i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis is fully customizable with fast integration with third-party applications and features, such as natural language processing and complementary analytics at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.
Interoperability inside and outside the organization: The open design not only integrates with existing infrastructure and other apps but also allows users to easily share critical threat information across the company and with partners, customers and other organizations.
Out-of-the-box functionality: Out-of-box functionality reduces the training, maintenance and deployment costs while allowing organizations to quickly begin protecting their infrastructure.
“While most organizations understand how big data can help prevent the ever increasing threat of cybercrime, they are so overwhelmed by massive data volumes that they can’t act fast enough to turn it into meaningful intelligence to stop criminals,” said Bob Griffin, General Manager, i2, Threat and Counter Fraud, IBM.
“With IBM i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis, we’ve changed the ability of investigators to find that illusive needle in a haystack that helps them detect a cyber attack. This provides any organization with always-on analytics that turns massive amounts of data into real-time insights in a way that simply wasn’t possible before.”
IBM has established the world’s deepest portfolio of Big Data and Analytics technology that spans research and development, solutions and software. IBM has invested $24 billion to build its capabilities in Big Data and Analytics through R&D and more than 30 acquisitions. Today, more than 15,000 analytics consultants, 6,000 industry solution business partners and 400 IBM mathematicians are helping clients use big data to transform their organizations.
At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.
“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.
This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
Okitipi Samuel, a Nigerian man, has been taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force for his alleged role in a global cyberattack on Microsoft 365 users.
Benjamin Hundeyin, Force public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of investigations carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force.
Hundeyin said the centre, under the leadership of Ifeanyi Uche, its director and Commissioner of Police, commenced investigations in collaboration with Microsoft, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
According to him, investigations revealed that a phishing toolkit known as “Raccoon 0365” was used to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and unlawfully access email accounts belonging to corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational institutions in several countries.
“This investigation commenced following credible intelligence received from Microsoft USA through the FBI, indicating that a malicious phishing toolkit known as Raccoon0365 was being used to create fake Microsoft login portals, harvest user credentials, and unlawfully access the email accounts of corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational establishments,” Hundeyin said.
He added that between January and September 2025, several reports of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts were traced to phishing emails designed to mimic legitimate Microsoft login pages, enabling business email compromise, internal phishing, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled fraud.
Hundeyin said digital forensic analysis and cryptocurrency tracing identified wallets connected to the illegal operation.
He noted that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel between September 20 and October 4, 2025.
“Following extensive digital forensic and technical intelligence analysis, the centre conducted cryptocurrency tracing that identified suspicious wallets connected to cash-out schemes.
“Acting on actionable intelligence, operational teams were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, resulting in the arrest of Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel. Searches at their residences led to the recovery of mobile devices, laptops, and other digital exhibits linked to the fraudulent scheme,” he said.
Hundeyin identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “0365” and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.
He added that investigations confirmed Samuel unlawfully used the email details of one of the arrested individuals without consent to register some of the accounts used in the operation.
The police spokesperson said further investigations revealed that the identities of Joshua and James were used without their consent.
“There was no evidence linking them to the creation or operation of the phishing scheme. They were victims of identity theft,” Hundeyin said.
He said a prima facie case had been established against Samuel for identity theft, unlawful access to computer systems, creation and distribution of malicious software, unauthorised interference with network data, and aiding and abetting fraud.
Hundeyin added that the suspect would be charged under relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024.
He said the suspect would be prosecuted in Nigeria, noting that the country has the capacity to enforce its cybercrime laws, although extradition could be considered if formally requested through due process.
Hundeyin assured Nigerians that the police, under the leadership of Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of Police, would continue to protect the country’s digital ecosystem and urged citizens to practise good cyber hygiene by being cautious when clicking links and sharing personal information online.
Speaking separately, Ifeanyi Uche, director of the National Cybercrime Centre, urged Nigerians to exercise caution online.
Uche advised members of the public to avoid clicking on links from unknown or unexpected sources, noting that such links often contain malware or phishing tools designed to compromise devices and personal data.
He warned that indiscriminate clicking of links or responding to unsolicited emails could lead to unauthorised access to personal and corporate accounts, urging citizens to “wash their cyber hands” by verifying sources before taking action online.
Banks to Impose N50 Stamp Duty on Transfers of N10,000 and Above from January 1
How to Use the Correlation of Gold with Other Trading Assets in the Forex Market
How Nigeria’s New Tax Law Could Redefine Risk in the Banking Sector
NDIC Reinforces Full Oversight Compliance to Safeguard Depositors
GTCO Secures Regulatory Approvals to Raise N10bn in Private Placement
Nigeria Records Highest Weekly Cyberattacks in Africa — Report
Financial Sector Faced AI, Blockchain and Organised Crime Threats in 2025 – Report
Cyber Tsunami Hits Nigeria as Breaches Surge 1,047%, esentry Q3 Report Reveals
Report Reveals Half of 2025’s Compromised Passwords were Already Leaked
Minister Claims Bandits Exploit Poor Network, Bounce Calls Off Multiple Towers
News3 days agoInsomniaQ Spotlights African Creativity in Lagos
General News3 days agoT2 Backs Youth Excellence as NCBC Wins Bosun Tijani Foundation Basketball Tournament
E-Financial2 days agoNigeria’s N58.18trn Budget and Rising Cost of Deficit Governance
Telecom2 days agoNnaemeka Ani – The Architect of ‘Code and Courage’
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Appreciates Partners, Customers at Lagos Prestige Experience
Telecom1 day agoT2 Faces NCC Probe in Benue Over Major Service Outage in 9 LGAs
Telecom1 day agoNCC Grants 45 Days for Telecoms Firms to Fix Unapproved Shareholding Changes
Telecom1 day agoNCC Unveils Draft 5-Year Spectrum Roadmap, 60 GHz License-Exempt Guidelines to Boost Broadband, Innovation