Cyber Criminals Wreak Havoc in Nigeria

Cyber attacks in Nigeria are alarmingly higher than the global average, according to cajnewsafrica.com

According to findings by Check Point, the cyber security firm, the number of attacks experienced per business each week is 870 on average.

This weekly figure is 2 308 across all industry sectors collectively.

The per-industry analysis reveals this figure is higher still for businesses in the finance and banking sector.

Pankaj Bhula, Check Point Software Technology Regional Director for Africa, said over the last six months, the number of attacks against these institutions in Nigeria was 3 682 per week, while globally, this figure was far lower at 774.

“To protect this booming industry, more must be done to drive awareness around cyber security,” Bhula said.

The Check Point report also revealed that, over the past six months, 62 percent of Nigeria’s businesses fell victim to

Remote Code Execution (RCE) attacks, making this the top class of vulnerability exploits.

Check Point forecast several alarming cyber-threat trends for 2022, including the weaponisation of deep-fake technologies by cyber-criminals to create fake news campaigns as part of elaborate phishing attacks, predominantly carried out over email.

Email was recorded as the origin point for 60 percent of cyber attacks over the last month, according to the report.

Remi Afon, President of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria, bemoaned deepfake technologies as a huge area of concern in 2022.

Nigera is the continent’s largest economy and biggest nation by population, estimated at 213 million people.