Telecom
Telcos Soon to Abolish SIM Card Swap
Telecommunications operators in Nigeria and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have agreed to abolish SIM swap system in the telecommunications ecosystem in the next few months, Nigeria Communicationsweek has gathered.
This coming against the back drop of CBN granting telecom operators’ subsidiaries financial service operational license which will enable them operate as banks.
Samuel Okojere. director, Payment Systems and Management. CBN, disclosed this while responding to duplication of national identity and need to harmonise different data collection systems in the country at the celebration of Verve at 10 event held in Lagos over the weekend.
According to him, “we have been meeting with telecom operators on harmonising operators’ data with banks’ BVN as operators’ subsidiaries have been granted financial services operating license and to prevent SIM swap fraud. In the next couple of months SIM swap will die a natural death and subscribers’ phone numbers will be tied to their mobile phone International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. This is a unique identification or serial number that all mobile phones and smartphones have. We are also upgrading BVN to a national identity for payments in Nigeria”.
He added that this system will make it impossible for anyone that steals phone to make use of such phone.
It would be recalled that Cyber security experts have berated telecommunications operators over the prevalence of SIM swap fraud in the country, arguing that such fraud could be possible with an insider in the network operator of the subscriber that is targeted.
SIM swapping is a sophisticated form of fraud and falls under social engineering. Fraudsters will distribute phishing emails, trying to ascertain as much personal information from victims as possible.
How it works
Your phone network will momentarily go blind without signal or Zero Bars and after a while a call will come through.
The Person on the other side will tell you that he is calling from Airtel, MTN, 9mobile or Glo depending on your network and that there is a problem in your mobile network. He will instruct you to Please press 1 on your phone to get the network back.
If you press 1, the network will appear suddenly and almost immediately go blind again (Zero Bars) and by that action, your phone is #HACKED. It will appear as though your line is without network; meanwhile your SIM has been SWAPPED.
It is increasing by the day. Within a second they will empty your bank account and cause you enough damage. The danger here is that, you will not get any alert of any transactions,
Responding to this Oluseyi Akindeinde, chief technical officer, Digital Encode, said that SIM swap is not new. “A lot of the perpetrators have insiders in the telecommunications operator that allow them to do this. Nothing really can be done to check it unless they checkmate the guys inside the telcos,” he said.
William Makatiani, managing director, Serianu, said that SIM swap has become a lucrative enterprise in Africa particularly because of the increased adoption of mobile money services and mobile based authentication.
“Attackers gather enough information on a target such as ID details; Phone numbers etc through social engineering and create a false identity. Using this information, the attackers can contact the service provider and request for SIM card replacement and thereafter start transacting using your phone.
“Since most people transact through their phones, a malicious attacker can easily access your bank account and transfer money to parallel malicious accounts that they’ve created. The attacker can intercept the authentication codes sent to your phone number and also read SMS messages that may be confidential,” he said.
Contrary to media some media reports yesterday, Mafab Communications, one of the companies granted Fifth Generation (5G) licences by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has actually rolled out its 5G network services in Abuja since 2023.
According to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek findings, the rollout came almost a year since the telco paid $273.6 million for spectrum in the 3.5GHz band as part of a government auction.
Mafab Communications, has, not however kept to its promise to to strengthen its commercial operations by March 2025 as its services has remained skeletal since the media launch.
It said that it will roll out its high-speed 5G services through 102 operational sites strategically located in Kano and Abuja but that did not happen as at close of March.
An insider in the company, however assured that starting this month, subscribers with Mafab’s 5G routers will be able to enjoy ultra-fast connectivity on its expanding network.
This move aims to capture a wider share of Nigeria’s growing demand for 5G services.
Dr Musbahu Bashir, founder and chairman, Mafab Communications, said during the rollout launch that the telco will offer both voice and data services nationwide.
Additionally, Nigerian cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Kaduna have been listed for the deployment of 5G services while those not on the list will have services deployed at a later stage.
“The rollout of Mafab Communications 5G network is the beginning of immense opportunities for the country as it represents Nigeria’s capabilities and infinite possibilities,” he said.
“The prospect of increased job opportunities as a consequence of the value-chain benefits the technology will generate and offer is the dream we have all gathered here to launch today,” Bashir continued.
Telecom
Samsung Introduces Local Nigerian Languages to Galaxy Devices, Celebrating Cultural Diversity
Samsung Electronics has taken a bold step in enhancing user experience and inclusivity by introducing Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba as official language options on selected Samsung Galaxy devices.
L-R: Stephen Okwara, Head, Product Management, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa; Joy Tim-Ayoola, Group Head, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa; Tae Sun Lee, Samsung Electronics West Africa CEO; Oge Maduagwu, Head of Marketing Samsung Electronics West Africa, and Nathan Lee, Regional Business Lead, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa, at the launch of Nigeria local language integration on Galaxy S25, A56, A36, and A26 devices, on April 03, 2025.
The feature, which is now available on the Galaxy S25, A56, A36, and A26 devices, reaffirms Samsung’s commitment to delivering innovative technology that speaks the language of its users.
With this groundbreaking update, Samsung users across Nigeria can now navigate their smartphones in their preferred local language, making technology more accessible, while also upholding our cultural heritage.
A Celebration of Culture and Technology
To mark the launch, Samsung hosted a cultural-themed press briefing featuring traditional music, local cuisine, and a showcase of the new language feature. Employees and guests attended in traditional Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa attires, celebrating Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity.
Samsung also announced plans to expand local language support to more devices in the near future, reinforcing its dedication to making technology more inclusive for African users.
Empowering Users Through Language
The integration of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba on Samsung devices reflects the brand’s mission to bridge the digital gap and enhance user engagement. Speaking at the press conference, Oge Maduagwu, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa, said, “At Samsung, we understand that technology is most powerful when it is accessible to all.
“By incorporating our local Nigerian languages, we are making our devices more intuitive and relatable, ensuring that millions of Nigerians can interact with their smartphones in the language they love and understand best”.
Seamless Language Transition on Galaxy Devices
Stephen Okwara, Head of Product Management, Samsung Electronics West Africa added, “The new local language feature is designed to deliver a seamless user experience, allowing customers to easily switch between languages. Users can activate Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba on the Galaxy S25, A26, A36, and A56 by navigating to: Settings > Language & Input > Select Language
“This update enhances smartphone usability, particularly for those who prefer their native language over English, ensuring greater digital inclusivity, enhancing digital literacy and encouraging more users to engage with technology in their native tongues” He concluded.
Availability
Customers can visit all Samsung Experience Stores or authorized retailers in Nigeria to learn more and experience the feature firsthand.
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has released the 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report, which details attacker behaviour and techniques from over 400 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Incident Response (IR) cases in 2024.
The report found that the primary way attackers gained initial access to networks (56% of all cases across MDR and IR) was by exploiting external remote services, which includes edge devices such as firewalls and VPNs, by leveraging valid accounts.
The combination of external remote services and valid accounts aligns with the top root causes of attacks. For the second year in row, compromised credentials were the number one root cause of attacks (41% of cases). This was followed by exploited vulnerabilities (21.79%) and brute force attacks (21.07%).
Understanding The Speed of Attacks
When analyzing MDR and IR investigations, the Sophos X-Ops team looked specifically at ransomware, data exfiltration, and data extortion cases to identify how fast attackers progressed through the stages of an attack within an organization. In those three types of cases, the median time between the start of an attack and exfiltration was only 72.98 hours (3.04 days). Furthermore, there was only a median of 2.7 hours from exfiltration to attack detection.
“Passive security is no longer enough. While prevention is essential, rapid response is critical. Organizations must actively monitor networks and act swiftly against observed telemetry. Coordinated attacks by motivated adversaries require a coordinated defense. For many organizations, that means combining business-specific knowledge with expert-led detection and response. Our report confirms that organizations with proactive monitoring detect attacks faster and experience better outcomes,” said John Shier, field CISO.
Other Key Findings from the 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report:
· Attackers Can Take Control of a System in Just 11 Hours: The median time between attackers’ initial action and their first (often successful) attempt to breach Active Directory (AD) – arguably one of the most important assets in any Windows network – was just 11 hours. If successful, attackers can more easily take control of the organization.
· Top Ransomware Groups in Sophos Cases: Akira was the most frequently encountered ransomware group in 2024, followed by Fog and LockBit (despite a multi-government takedown of LockBit earlier in the year).
· Dwell Time is Down to Just 2 Days: Overall, dwell time – the time from the start of an attack to when it is detected – decreased from 4 days to just 2 in 2024, largely due to the addition of MDR cases to the dataset.
· Dwell Time in IR Cases: Dwell time remained stable at 4 days for ransomware attacks and 11.5 days for non-ransomware cases.
· Dwell Time in MDR Cases: In MDR investigations, dwell time was only 3 days for ransomware cases and just 1 day for non-ransomware cases, suggesting MDR teams are able to more quickly detect and respond to attacks.
Ransomware Groups Work Overnight: In 2024, 83% of ransomware binaries were dropped outside of the targets’ local business hours.
· Remote Desktop Protocol Continues to Dominate: RDP was involved in 84% of MDR/IR cases, making it the most frequently abused Microsoft tool.
To shore up their defenses, Sophos recommends that companies do the following:
· Close exposed RDP ports
· Use phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible
· Patch vulnerable systems in a timely manner, with a particular focus on internet-facing devices and services
· Deploy EDR or MDR and ensure it is proactively monitored 24/7
· Establish a comprehensive incident response plan and test it regularly through simulations or tabletop exercises
Read the full It Takes Two: The 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report on Sophos.com.
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