Chinenye Anuforo
The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has warned Nigerians against opening strange emails and using pirated software.
Pantami who gave the warning at the annual cyber security conference organised by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) with the theme, “Strengthening the Security and Resilience of the Nation’s Communications Infrastructure” held in Abuja said, globally the “faster growing crime is the cyber crime, growing at the speed of light, the cyber crime is higher than physical crime and is the easiest way criminals generate huge money.
“Today there are no more physical crime but cyber crime and is the easiest and safest way where criminals generate money more easily.
“Furthermore, if you look at the statistics in the US alone, they discover that for the first four years, cyber crime is the fastest growing crime in the country. In 2018, cyber crime industry generated a minimum of 1.5 trillion USD, while social media associated crime generated a minimum of 3.5 billion USD, bitcoin crime alone generated 76 billion USD and this is only within 2018.”
The minister emphasised that with the cyber crime Act 2015, the security of telecommunications infrastructure had been categorized as critical infrastructure in the country, attesting to the fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria had discovered that strengthening the security and resilience of telecommunications infrastructure was key to the economy, and very critical to the success of our nation as a country.
He said, “The best way for us to ensure that we secure our cyberspace, I think is to create awareness. Awareness is key, let people know that when you go online, you are exposed. You need to take some precautions to ensure that you minimise the risk that you’re exposing yourself to and if we create that awareness, it will go a long way in actually reducing the cyber crime we have in Nigeria. Many people do not know the implications of just receiving an email without knowing the source they just go ahead and open the attached mail, this is one of the way our system is being compromise.
“And secondarily, through using pirated software, we usually look at the cheapest one if you go for the cheaper, while the probability of compromising your system is high. This is another issue, number three, we need to be updating our applications.”
TheExecutive Vice Chairman, NCC Umar Danbatta his remark said the maiden annual cyber security summit was in recognition of the importance and centrality of collaborative efforts in the advancement of cyber security measures to provide precautions and protection of critical communications Infrastructure.
According to Danbatta, “the event was designed to provide a platform for discussion on developing a joint coordination for incidence response for the communication industry, introducing cyber insurance, bridging the cyber workforce gap, strengthening national cooperation, exchange of information, and development of comprehensive strategies that will address the cyber security challenges confronting the communications industry in Nigeria.”
The EVC stated that in addressing cybercrimes and boosting cyber security, technical measures and appropriate legal instruments must be put in place to enhance the resilience and integrity of ICT infrastructure and also to safeguard activities in the cyberspace.