NIGERIA: Report on Cyber Threat Calls for Quick Passage of 2012 Bill

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A report on Nigeria 2014 cyber threat, which was sponsored by the

British High Commission in a bid to facilitate trade, cooperation and mutual security in the UK and Nigeria, has been launched in Nigeria. The research project known as 2014 Nigerian Cyber Threat Barometer, is aimed at battling the issue of cyber threats in Nigeria.

The report called for the passage of the Cyber Crime 2012 Bill as well as the implementation of best practice standards in Nigeria.

The research project was carried out by Digital Jewels, a specialised indigenousGovernance, Risk and Compliance Consulting Firm in Nigeria, with deep competencies in Information Security in partnership with a South African based firm Wolfpack Information Risk PYG.

The report contains in-depth analysis on the state of cyber security across the globe with a focus on Africa and focus on Nigeria. The Barometer represents the informed opinion of key stakeholders in the information security community drawn across the public and private sectors and seeks to take a stakeholder-centric collaborative approach to addressing cyber-crime locally.

Speaking at the launch of the 2014 Nigerian Cyber Threat Barometer research in Abuja, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Pocock, said recent research estimated the cost of cyber-crime to the global economy to be in the range of $389 billion.

Pocock further disclosed that the UK government, as part of sustained effort to address cyber-crime over the next four years, has earmarked huge sum of money to address the menace.

Managing Director, Digital Jewels, Mrs. Adedoyin Odunfa, the only ISO27001

certified professional services firm in Africa and qualified security assessor for the payment card data security standard, revealed that the findings of the research point to a preponderance of social engineering attacks. She said the attack were a result of low cyber security awareness and skills which are some of the key cyber threats in Nigeria.

Odunfa therefore, advocated large scale information security awareness programmes, specialised training and education and the passage of the Cyber Crime 2012 bill as well as the concerted implementation of best practice standards as lasting panacea.

Also speaking, Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Chris Onyemenam, decried the emergence of heterogeneous national databases, highlighting the security, privacy and economic implications therein.

He, however, called on organisations, especially in the public sector to implement and attain certification to global best practice standards. He noted that the rigour of attaining such international benchmarks strengthens organisations' processes, systems and people alike.