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Stolen Credentials Selling on Dark Web for Price of 3 Litres of Fuel – Report

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2 years ago

July 25, 2022

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HP has released The Evolution of Cybercrime: Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back – an HP Wolf Security Report.

The findings show cybercrime is being supercharged through “plug and play” malware kits that make it easier than ever to launch attacks. Cyber syndicates are collaborating with amateur attackers to target businesses, putting our online world at risk.

The HP Wolf Security threat team worked with Forensic Pathways, a leading group of global forensic professionals, on a three-month dark web investigation, scraping and analysing over 35 million cybercriminal marketplaces and forum posts to understand how cybercriminals operate, gain trust, and build reputation.

Key findings include:

– Malware is cheap and readily available – Over three quarters (76%) of malware advertisements listed, and 91% of exploits (i.e., code that gives attackers control over systems by taking advantage of software bugs), retail for under ₦4,923.17. The average cost of compromised Remote Desktop Protocol credentials is just ₦2,092.35.

Vendors are selling products in bundles, with plug-and-play malware kits, malware-as-a-service, tutorials, and mentoring services reducing the need for technical skills and experience to conduct complex, targeted attacks – in fact, just 2-3% of threat actors today are advanced coders.

-The irony of ‘honor amongst cyber-thieves’ – Much like the legitimate online retail world, trust and reputation are ironically essential parts of cybercriminal commerce: 77% of cybercriminal marketplaces analysed require a vendor bond – a license to sell – which can cost up to ₦1,230,793.

Eighty-five per cent of these use escrow payments, and 92% have a third-party dispute resolution service. Every marketplace provides vendor feedback scores. Cybercriminals also try to stay a step ahead of law enforcement by transferring reputation between websites – as the average lifespan of a dark net Tor website is only 55 days.

– Popular software is giving cybercriminals a foot in the door – Cybercriminals are focusing on finding gaps in software that will allow them to get a foothold and take control of systems by targeting known bugs and vulnerabilities in popular software.

Examples include the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office, web content management systems, and web and mail servers. Kits that exploit vulnerabilities in niche systems command the highest prices (typically ranging from ₦393,853.76 – ₦1,723,110.20). Zero Days (vulnerabilities that are not yet publicly known) are retailing at tens of thousands of dollars on dark web markets.

“Unfortunately, it’s never been easier to be a cybercriminal. Complex attacks previously required serious skills, knowledge and resource. Now the technology and training is available for the price of 3 litres of fuel.

“And whether it’s having your company and customer data exposed, deliveries delayed or even a hospital appointment cancelled, the explosion in cybercrime affects us all,” comments report author Alex Holland, Senior Malware Analyst at HP Inc.

“At the heart of this is ransomware, which has created a new cybercriminal ecosystem rewarding smaller players with a slice of the profits.

“This is creating a cybercrime factory line, churning out attacks that can be very hard to defend against and putting the businesses we all rely on in the crosshairs,” Holland adds.

HP consulted with a panel of experts from cybersecurity and academia – including ex-black hat hacker Michael ‘Mafia Boy’ Calce and authored criminologist, Dr. Mike McGuire – to understand how cybercrime has evolved and what businesses can do to better protect themselves against the threats of today and tomorrow.

They warned that businesses should prepare for destructive data denial attacks, increasingly targeted cyber campaigns, and cybercriminals using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to challenge organisations’ data integrity.

To protect against current and future threats, the report offers up the following advice for businesses:

Master the basics to reduce cybercriminals’ chances: Follow best practices, such as multi-factor authentication and patch management; reduce your attack surface from top attack vectors like email, web browsing and file downloads; and prioritise self-healing hardware to boost resilience.

Focus on winning the game: plan for the worst; limit risk posed by your people and partners by putting processes in place to vet supplier security and educate workforces on social engineering; and be process-oriented and rehearse responses to attacks so you can identify problems, make improvements and be better prepared.

Cybercrime is a team sport. Cybersecurity must be too: talk to your peers to share threat information and intelligence in real-time; use threat intelligence and be proactive in horizon scanning by monitoring open discussions on underground forums; and work with third-party security services to uncover weak spots and critical risks that need addressing.

“We all need to do more to fight the growing cybercrime machine,” says Dr. Ian Pratt, Global Head of Security for Personal Systems at HP Inc. “For individuals, this means becoming cyber aware.

Most attacks start with a click of a mouse, so thinking before you click is always important. But giving yourself a safety net by buying technology that can mitigate and recover from the impact of bad clicks is even better.”

“For businesses, it’s important to build resiliency and shut off as many common attack routes as possible,” Pratt continues.

“For example, cybercriminals study patches on release to reverse engineer the vulnerability being patched and can rapidly create exploits to use before organisations have patched. So, speeding up patch management is important.

“Many of the most common categories of threat such as those delivered via email and the web can be fully neutralised through techniques such as threat containment and isolation, greatly reducing an organisation’s attack surface regardless of whether the vulnerabilities are patched or not.”

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Nigerian Passport Gains Visa-Free Access to 45 Countries

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7 hours ago

August 1, 2024

Comms Week

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The Nigerian passport has slightly improved globally, rising to 92nd among nations with visa-free access to other countries.

Nigerian Passport Gains Visa-Free Access to 45 Countries

According to a report released by Henley and Partners based on the data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Nigeria has risen to 92nd position and now has access to 45 countries visa-free, after falling to 97th position a year ago.

The list of countries Nigeria has Visa-free access to are as follows: Barbados, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Chad, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Côte d’Ivoire, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Togo, Timor-Leste, The Gambia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Samoa, Rwanda, Palau Islands, Niue, Niger, Mozambique, Montserrat, Micronesia, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mali, Maldives, Madagascar, Liberia, Lebanon, Kiribati, Kenya, Iran, Haiti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Fiji, Dominica, and Djibouti.

Nigeria is ranked the sixth lowest African country with visa-free travel access and only above countries like South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Eritrea.

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Hope for Cancer Patients – AstraZeneca in Collaboration with Health Ministry Commissions Molecular Testing in Nigeria

Published

8 hours ago

August 1, 2024

Ugo Onwuaso

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AstraZeneca, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), is proud to announce a significant milestone in the fight against cancer in Nigeria. Through the Cancer Care Africa (CCA) initiative, AstraZeneca is partnering with NICRAT to provide every patient with an equal chance for cure through early detection, screening, and diagnostics. This initiative is about the present and building a sustainable future for cancer care in Nigeria.

The initiative, delivered under the umbrella of Accelerating Change Together for Cancer Care, is a coalition of technology, policy, research pioneers, and NICRAT seeking to improve the patient cancer journey experience. This collaboration focuses on impactful initiatives across four main pillars:

1. Enhanced Screening and Diagnostics: AstraZeneca will establish partnerships with Abuja National Hospital, NSIA-LUTH, and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu in setting linkages for access to molecular testing within Nigeria.
The initiative will also explore screening support for patients across breast cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer.

2. Capacity and Capability Building: AstraZeneca, collaborating with the Guandong Academy of Medical Sciences, will provide Nigeria-China cross border capacity building for multidisciplinary teams from chosen centres of excellence. Additionally, the initiative will enhance pathology expertise through pathologist training across Nigeria and provide oncology training for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs).

3. Patient Empowerment: AstraZeneca is deeply committed to working with patient association groups to reach the right communities, focusing on education and awareness.

4. Access to Medicines: AstraZeneca is unwavering in its commitment to expanding access to innovative treatment and establishing patient support/affordability programs to enable enhanced access for Nigerian patients. This commitment is a testament to our dedication to improving cancer care in Nigeria.

Deepak Arora, Country President African Cluster at AstraZeneca, highlighted the programme’s potential: “At AstraZeneca, we are committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders, including governments, healthcare professionals, and patient communities, to build resilient healthcare systems and improve access to innovative cancer treatments for patients throughout Africa.

This marks a significant milestone in this journey, and we are confident that it will positively impact the lives of many, bringing science to life. This commitment underscores our dedication to empowering patients in their fight against cancer.”

On his part, the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, applauded AstraZeneca for the initiative, describing it as brilliant and timely.

“NICRAT which is the leading government agency with the mandate to provide national leadership in cancer research, improve cancer treatment, prevention and care in Nigeria is committed to supporting this initiative to the later.

“With the formal launch of this initiative today by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, NICRAT believes strongly that it will boost our effort towards achieving improved cancer screening and diagnosis, expand access to innovative treatment and also contribute immensely in building the capacity of all categories of experts in the cancer space in Nigeria,” says Prof. Malami, the Director General of NICRAT.

Cancer Care Africa is AstraZeneca’s response to the growing cancer burden on the African continent, and the company aims to successfully collaborate and partner with government entities, NGOs, medical societies, and patient advocacy groups to address the urgent need for action.

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d.light Achieves Record Profits in Q2 2024

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1 day ago

July 31, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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d.light, the global provider of transformational household products and affordable finance for low-income households, achieved its highest ever quarterly revenue and profits in Q2 2024, the company announced.

Consecutive record-breaking monthly revenue figures in May and June, combined with improved operational efficiencies, led to Q2 2024 being d.light’s first net income profitable quarter in the company’s history since it was founded in 2007. d.light is on course to hit its target of 60 percent year-on-year revenue growth this financial year.

Commenting on the news, d.light CEO Nedjip Tozun said, “We’ve set ourselves ambitious growth targets for this financial year and our record-breaking results in Q2 demonstrate that we’re capable of reaching new heights in the coming months.

“d.light has been EBITDA profitable for several years and we are thrilled to announce our first-ever net income profitable quarter. It’s a true indicator of long-term sustainability for d.light and for the PayGo business model, and is a critical milestone for achieving our goal to transform the lives of one billion people by 2030.”

d.light’s Q2 growth was primarily driven by Sub-Saharan Africa, where it has expanded its presence in recent years supported by securitized receivables financing facilities. Since the beginning of 2020, d.light has set up five securitized finance facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa with a combined total value of USD$718 million – including two in Kenya: one each in Nigeria and Tanzania: and earlier this month a new USD$176 million facility for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

This financing has enabled d.light to expand its operations and make its solar-powered products affordable for more low-income households and rural communities, which has contributed to the increase in sales. India has also been a significant growth market for d.light with over 73 percent growth during the last year.

Tozun continued, “Over the past few years we’ve steadily grown our presence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Expansion in Sub-Saharan African countries – including Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – has improved the day-to-day lives of millions in these countries who live without access to a reliable electricity supply.

“We’ve championed securitization as a financial tool for growth ever since we established our first facility back in 2020. The financing that we’ve closed since then has enabled d.light to reach more people and maximise our positive impact.”

A recent report (June 2024) by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO), found that in 2022 685 million people worldwide lived without electricity access, including 570 million in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, 2.1 billion people globally relied on polluting fuels for cooking, largely in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Population growth combined with the economic slowdown from COVID-19, the global energy crisis, and inflation caused the number of people worldwide without access to electricity to increase for the first time in over a decade, rising by ten million since 2021.

Tozun concluded, “d.light’s exceptional Q2 performance, our strong balance sheet, and the ongoing efforts to scale up our offerings and broaden our reach are testament to the hard work and commitment of our d.light colleagues to deliver positive change.

“We’re very much aware there is more work to do to ensure that people worldwide have access to safe, affordable solar energy. We want to continue supporting underserved communities that lack basic amenities for lighting and cooking, to achieve our ultimate goal of transforming the lives of one billion people by 2030.”

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