Telecom
Cybercriminals Wiped Out Logs in 82% of Attacks – Sophos
Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, has released its Active Adversary Report for Security Practitioners, which found that telemetry logs were missing in nearly 42% of the attack cases studied. In 82% of these cases, cybercriminals disabled or wiped out the telemetry to hide their tracks. The report covers Incident Response (IR) cases that Sophos analyzed from January 2022 through the first half of 2023.
Gaps in telemetry decrease much-needed visibility into organizations’ networks and systems, especially since attacker dwell time (the time from initial access to detection) continues to decline, shortening the time defenders have to effectively respond to an incident.
“Time is critical when responding to an active threat; the time between spotting the initial access event and full threat mitigation should be as short as possible.
“The farther along in the attack chain an attacker makes it, the bigger the headache for responders. Missing telemetry only adds time to remediations that most organizations can’t afford.
“This is why complete and accurate logging is essential, but we’re seeing that, all too frequently, organizations don’t have the data they need,” said John Shier, field CTO, Sophos.
In the report, Sophos classifies ransomware attacks with a dwell time of less than or equal to five days as “fast attacks,” which accounted for 38% of the cases studied. “Slow” ransomware attacks are those with a dwell time greater than five days, which accounted for 62% of the cases.
When examining these “fast” and “slow” ransomware attacks at a granular level, there was not much variation in the tools, techniques, and living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins) that attackers deployed, suggesting defenders don’t need to reinvent their defensive strategies as dwell time shrinks.
However, defenders do need to be aware that fast attacks and the lack of telemetry can hinder fast response times, leading to more destruction.
“Cybercriminals only innovate when they must, and only to the extent that it gets them to their target. Attackers aren’t going to change what’s working, even if they’re moving faster from access to detection.
“This is good news for organizations because they don’t have to radically change their defensive strategy as attackers speed up their timelines.
“The same defenses that detect fast attacks will apply to all attacks, regardless of speed. This includes complete telemetry, robust protections across everything, and ubiquitous monitoring,” said Shier.
“The key is increasing friction whenever possible—if you make the attackers’ job harder, then you can add valuable time to respond, stretching out each stage of an attack.
“For example, in the case of a ransomware attack, if you have more friction, then you can delay the time until exfiltration; exfiltration often occurs just before detection and is often the costliest part of the attack.
“We saw this happen in two incidents of Cuba ransomware. One company (Company A) had continuous monitoring in place with MDR, so we were able to spot the malicious activity and halt the attack within hours to prevent any data from being stolen. Another company (Company B) didn’t have this friction; they didn’t spot the attack until a few weeks after initial access and after Cuba had already successfully exfiltrated 75 gigabytes of sensitive data.
“They then called in our IR team, and a month later, they were still trying to get back to business as usual.”
The Sophos Active Adversary Report for Security Practitioners is based on 232 Sophos Incident response (IR) cases across 25 sectors from Jan. 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. Targeted organizations were located in 34 different countries across six continents. Eighty-three percent of cases came from organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees.
The Sophos Active Adversary Report for Security Practitioners provides actionable intelligence on how security practitioners should best shape their defensive strategy.
To learn more about attacker behaviors, tools and techniques, read the Active Adversary Report for Security Practitioners on Sophos.com.
Elon Musk’s Starlink has become the second-largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Nigeria, surpassing FiberOne in customer numbers while Spectranet remains the market leader.
Elon Musk
This was revealed in a recent report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
According to NCC’s Q3 2024 data, Spectranet maintained its top position with 105,441 active subscribers, despite losing over 8,000 users since December 2023.
Meanwhile, Starlink, which launched in Nigeria in January 2023, grew rapidly to 65,564 subscribers, adding 41,667 users in just nine months.
This pushed FiberOne to third place with 33,010 customers.
The report also showed that out of 241 licensed ISPs in Nigeria, only 124 had active users in Q3 2024, collectively serving 307,946 subscribers.
However, these numbers remain far below the dominance of mobile network operators such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, which together accounted for over 130 million internet users as of September 2024.
Starlink’s expansion has been driven by its satellite-based internet service, which provides coverage in remote areas where traditional ISPs struggle.
By the end of 2023, the company had already secured the third position with 23,897 users, marking a 113% growth from the previous quarter.
Its growth has also been supported by partnerships with Nigerian companies like TD Africa and Konga.
In 2023, Starlink briefly stopped accepting new orders in major cities, including Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, due to capacity issues.
The Federal Government says it has committed $2 billion to enhance Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, aiming to boost the nation’s economy and safeguard the digital identities and rights of its citizens.
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy disclosed in Abuja on Tuesday while briefing newsmen on the forthcoming International Telecommunication Union, (ITU) Summit holding in Abuja from Wednesday to Thursday this week.
The ITU International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit will feature over 250 participants from 194 ITU member countries, with key representatives from the private sector and academia expected to attend.
Tijani who addressed journalists alongside Tomas Lamanauskas, the Deputy Secretary General of ITU,said the present administration was not making two billion dollars investments in digital infrastructures for the fun of it.
He said the present administration is committed to digital connectivity for the people to make lives more meaningful and impactful, adding that the investments would ensure that Nigerians enjoy the best quality of digital services and protection in the nearest future.
The ITU International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit aims to foster global collaboration, secure innovative solutions, and engage leaders from government, industry and international organisations to strengthen the global digital infrastructures.
“This investment is part of a larger vision to provide every Nigerian with access to high-quality digital services, while safeguarding their digital identities,” Tijani said.
The ITU International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit, co-hosted by Nigeria and Portugal, will explore innovative strategies to strengthen the security and resilience of submarine cables—vital infrastructure for global digital connectivity.
The summit is bringing together government leaders, industry experts, and international organizations to discuss ways to safeguard submarine cable networks, which are increasingly vulnerable to disruptions.
Tijani emphasized that the discussions at the summit will focus on finalizing a global declaration on submarine cable resilience, calling for heightened action from both governments and private sectors to protect digital infrastructure worldwide.
In his words, “Nigeria is not just solving local issues; we are taking a global leadership role in securing submarine cables, which are essential for digital connectivity”.
The summit will address the growing concern of disruptions in submarine cable networks, with an average of 150 to 200 cables being damaged or cut annually, severely impacting global digital connectivity.
To tackle these challenges, the summit will include key international organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), promoting coordination across industries such as telecom, shipping, and fishing, which impact submarine cable integrity.
Tijani also highlighted Nigeria’s leadership in the digital space, stating that while the country already boasts a robust submarine cable network, with around eight or nine cables landing in Nigeria, the key challenge now is expanding these networks inland and ensuring reliable, high-speed internet access for all Nigerians.
“We are committed to connecting every Nigerian, ensuring that digital infrastructure benefits all citizens,” he added. Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU, praised Nigeria’s forward-thinking investments in digital infrastructure.
He highlighted that Africa is experiencing rapid growth in digital traffic, and Nigeria’s investments will play a pivotal role in ensuring the continent remains competitive on the global digital stage.
According to him, “This region is the fastest-growing for international digital connectivity, and Nigeria’s leadership is critical to ensuring Africa’s success in the global digital economy.
The summit is expected to provide a platform for robust discussions on enhancing submarine cable security, a critical pillar for the global digital economy, with over 50 countries participating in this essential dialogue.
Telecom
Network International Partners with MTN Group to Enhance Digital Payment Solutions Across Africa
Network International, a leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), has been appointed as a Payment Processor – Issuing partner for MTN Group Fintech, Africa’s leading mobile financial services provider.
This partnership marks a significant extension of Network’s portfolio of issuer processing collaborations throughout the African continent.
With a footprint spanning over 50 countries and serving over 250 financial institutions, Network International brings its expertise to this partnership which will enhance MTN Fintech’s cutting-edge mobile services and provide even greater value to stakeholders and customers across Africa.
The partnership will focus on rolling out card issuance products across key MTN Fintech markets, starting with Rwanda which is already operational. Soon Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria will also be covered under this collaboration.
Network International will provide a comprehensive range of services, including transaction processing, card management and online fraud prevention. MTN Fintech users will benefit from a seamless experience accessing both traditional mobile services and innovative digital payment solutions.
Dr. Reda Helal, Group Managing Director – Processing, Africa and Co-Head Group Processing at Network International commented: “Our collaboration with MTN Group Fintech marks a major milestone for our outsourced payments services in Africa.
“It demonstrates our ability to successfully serve Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) via our fully-fledged processing solutions and our continued dedication and commitment to the African region.
“We are excited to support MTN Group Fintech’s growth strategy, and its business development plans across the continent.”
Cedric N’guessan, Executive for Payment and E-commerce at MTN Group Fintech added, “This collaboration with Network International is pivotal in enhancing financial inclusion across Africa and beyond.
“It enables our customers to actively engage in the global economy, aligning perfectly with our strategic goals alongside Mastercard to broaden access to digital financial services across the continent.”
MTN Group provides voice, data, fintech, enterprise wholesale and API services to more than 288 million customers in 14 African markets.
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