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AFF Holds //Re:Code Nigeria Hackathon 2018

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The Africa Fintech Foundry is set to hold the second edition of the //Re:Code Nigeria Hackathon in July 2018 (themed “2018 Data Hack”) at the AFF Building – 1216, Ibiyinka Olorunbe Close, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Following a successful first edition of its Fintech conference, AFF Disrupt 2017, the //Re:Code Nigeria Hackathon 2018 is set to begin a chain of disruptive events which will set the tone for the biggest Fintech event of the year, AFF Disrupt 2018.

The overarching objective of this edition is to create innovative solutions in response to the distinct challenges faced in some of Nigeria’s leading sectors –Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Agriculture and the Financial Services ecosystem as a whole.

Buoyed by the support of industry giants like such as Unilever, Dell, AFEX, Microsoft, IBM, SaS and the likes, the //Re:Code Hackathon take on some of the biggest challenges in the ecosystem which include (but not limited to):

  • How financial technology can address supply chain challenges (from finished goods to retail) in the FMCG sector
  • Leveraging big-data analytics, identity management and behavioural analysis to identify customers’ needs, providing investment advice & lending services
  • Financial Inclusion for the agricultural and related sectors with a focus on improving credit scoring and financing opportunities for small and medium scale operators

//Re:Code Nigeria Hackathon 2018 aims to bring together multiple teams of talented developers, designers, problem-solvers, out-of-the-box thinkers, dreamers, doers, makers, and code magicians to solve these problems.

Adeleke Adekoya, AFF’s Business and Digital Solutions Architect, believes the 2018 edition will be far greater than its predecessor.

“AFF remains fully committed to being at the forefront of the Fintech space in Nigeria and this edition of //Re:Code Nigeria Hackathon sets out  to solve three (3) of the biggest challenges the Ecosystem is facing today.

We have received enormous support from our partners and with the technology available for participants to explore and leverage, we strongly believe the prototypes from the Hackathon will be of the highest standard”.

He added: “the 2017 edition was great but I can assure you that the 2018 edition will take the Hackathon further in the global Fintech space”.

This comment was backed by Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Access Bank Plc who also the importance of Fintech in the financial sector. “The coming of the Digital Age and its consequent disruptive influences is driving traditional financial services providers to either adapt or become obsolete.

Only operators that understand the new demands of the market, leverage the emerging technologies, agile business practices, personalised customer preferences and work in partnership with Fintechs can continually adjust to market realities and deliver products that can satisfy the ever growing needs of customers”.

He added that “!Access Bank’s partnership with Africa Fintech Foundry solidifies our position as the  “Digitally-led” bank and the solutions the //Re:Code Hackathon 2018 will bring to light will help drive better industry insights for the sectors and financial services providers”.

The final day of the Hackathon will see the developers demonstrate the prototypes they’ve created to a panel of judges who then select the winners and the runners up.

The winners stand chances of walking home with gifts worth N5,000,000


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Firm Reports a 48% Increase in Malicious Packages Threatening Software Supply Chains

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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.


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NDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres

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Data Breach
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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.

NDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres

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.

 

 

 


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Nigeria Among Hotspots as Kaspersky Warns of Rising Ransomware Threat in Africa

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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.

 


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