Obadare wins CSEAN’s first Cybersecurity Outstanding Individual Award - ITREALMS

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The Co-Founder and the Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of Digital Encode Limited, Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, has emerged the first recipient of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN’s) ‘Outstanding Individual of the Year Award’, reports ITREALMS.

Peter, ITREALMS gathered is arguably the most “Credentialed” PAN-African CyberSecurity Influencer, Thought Leader & GRC Technopreneur.

CSEAN decorates NCC with cybersecurity award, votes for safer internet - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the weekend in Lagos, received a cybersecurity promotion award at the maiden edition of Cybersecurity Merit Awards hosted by the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigerian (CSEAN) which enumerated several steps taken by it to promote a safer Internet.

The award, which was conferred on the Commission, ahead of other contending organizations, listed its sterling contributions to the protection of telecom consumers from all forms of cybercrimes.

Cambridge Analytica scandal: CSEAN urges NASS to investigate Facebook, enact data protection law

ITREALMS:

The CyberSecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to investigate the ongoing scandal of data-mining by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica as revealed by a whistle-blower, Christopher Wylie, reports ITRealms.

CSEAN also NASS to as matter of urgency, enact data protection law, according to its President, Mr. Remi Afon, at the weekend.

He told ITRealms that CSEAN is highly concerned at the news that millions of Nigerians data were allegedly harvested from Facebook and used in a targeted online campaign with the aim of influencing the outcome of 2015 election.

He noted that Cambridge Analytica, the analytics and marketing firm based in United Kingdom (UK) has been implicated in this scandal that also involved allegation of hacking of President Muhammadu Buhari’s email who was at that time the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The firm was allegedly paid £2 million ($2.8 million) by an unnamed Nigerian billionaire to “orchestrate a ferocious campaign” against President Muhammadu Buhari.

While it is now becoming common to use data analytic software to perform targeted online marketing campaign, CSEAN President noted that the recent revelation by Christopher Wylie the whistle-blower and former research director for Cambridge Analytical, is to say the least worrisome.

Wylie alleged while testifying before a committee of British Parliament that an Israeli company called Black Cube was engaged to hack private health data from President Muhammadu Buhari email.

ITRealms gathered that Black Cube has however debunked this assertion, while AggregateIQ (AIQ) a software development firm based in Canada was said to have handled the hacked data and also distributed threatening anti-Islamic videos that showed people’s throats being cut in an effort to intimidate voters and dissuade Nigerians from voting during the 2015 presidential election.

According to Wylie the “AIQ was handed material about Nigeria from Cambridge Analytica to distribute online - that is distribution of kompromat (compromising material) and of incredibly threatening and violent video content,”  AggregateIQ has meanwhile denied this allegation.

CSEAN president, equally noted that the Facebook Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has taken out a full-page advert in some selected print media in the United States (US) and UK to apologise for the Cambridge Analytica scandal but despite Nigeria being also a victim of the misuse of data, no such apology has been tendered in Nigeria.

“Such is the kind of treatment Nigeria has always received and will continue until we begin to hold organisations accountable for personal data of Nigerians they hold. While UK and US are busy investigating the key actors in this scandal, Nigeria is yet to react officially,” he said.

In order to continue to give Nigerian citizens assurance that their data will be managed securely and safely by organisations that hold and process their personal data, CSEAN therefore call on National Assembly as a matter of urgency to initiate robust investigation of Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, AggregateIQ and Black Cube to ascertain whether Nigerian Cyber Crime law has been breached and also look at the present gaps in the law with the aim of enacting a strong data protection law.  As 2019 general election is fast approaching, we will continue to witness online targeting using social media to influence voters.

“The time has come for the Federal Government to set up a Cyber Security Unit that will have capability of defending government systems from cyber threats and provide support to the existing security agencies in terms of cybersecurity investigations,” he said.

CSEAN, Mr. Afon said, has put together a technical session and table-top  exercise during its forth coming Cyber Secure Nigeria 2018 Conference scheduled to take place in Lagos on the 9-10th May 2018, to discuss “Election Manipulation Using Social Media Data to target Nigerians in 2019”.

A communique, he said, will be issued at the end of the conference and shared with relevant authorities, which has the theme for this year as “Mitigating Cyber Threats in Digital Age”.

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CSAM 2017: CSEAN says Nigeria needs SA on Cybersecurity

ITRealms:

As prelude to the October 2017 Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM 2017), the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to urgently appoint a Special Adviser on Cyber Security in the country, reports ITRealms.

CSEAN President, Mr. Remi Afon, made this call in commemoration of the 2017 CSAM and told ITRealms that Nigeria is ripe for such an august appointment in order to properly drive the cyber security agenda of the federal government.

“The time is ripe for President Mohammadu Buhari to appoint a special adviser on cybersecurity who will be driving the cybersecurity agenda of the government,” he declared.

Afon also noted that every year, October has been set aside globally as cyber security awareness month, was started 14 years ago by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now being embraced by many countries around the world with added expansive international adoption this year under the umbrella of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM).

CSEAN, he said, being a cyber security awareness advocate and the curator of STOP. THINK. CONNECT. in Nigeria, the global online safety education and awareness campaign, will be at the forefront this month of October to educate all consumers and businesses about the importance of cybersecurity and how to protect their personal information. CSEAN is a non-profit organisation made up of Information security professionals, centred on a collective purpose and vision of championing the cause and awareness of Information security best practices, acting as an agent of change to address Cyber Crime phenomena through engaging intellectual minds, business and political leaders.

This year, he also said, CSEAN will kick off the Cyber Security Awareness month with series of cyber security awareness lectures and symposium across the country starting from Abuja and Lagos. 

“The association has selected some private and public organisations,  secondary schools and tertiary institutions for the awareness campaign. As part of the activities during the month, we will be having cyber security awareness walk during which our members will be giving out tips to people on the street on how stay safe online,” he said,

Afon explained that parallel to all the lined up activities will be social media campaign on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #CyberAware  #NoFallMaga and interviews with expert speakers on Facebook and YouTube.

Throughout the month of October, CSEAN’s campaign will focus on cybersecurity in the workplace, governance, social media security, cyberbullying, fake news, phishing, identity theft, privacy and data protection, cybersecurity at home, and skills in cybersecurity.

CSEAN, he said, is using this occasion to again call on all arms of governments Executive, Judiciary and Legislative to set aside and adopt October as National Cyber Security Awareness month.

“We have for a very long time observed with great concern the apathy of the present government towards cybersecurity development in the country. The lack of leadership from the government, inadequate regulation and lack of public private partnership in the area of cybersecurity could potentially hunt the country very soon,” he insisted.

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CSEAN kicks off 2017 video, poster competition

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has kicked off the 2017 National Cyber Security Awareness Video and Poster Competition reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this to ITRealms, CSEAN President, Mr. Remi Afon, said the competition would run from July 10th to September 1, this year.

He explained that this was introduced in pursuit of CSEAN grassroots cyber security awareness campaign, which seeks creative and innovative videos and posters with local content to be used for National Cyber Security Awareness Campaigns (NCSAC).

Winners, he told ITRealms would be announced during October 2017 Cyber Security Awareness Month at CSEAN’s National Cyber Security Awareness Symposium slated for Lagos.

“Selection of the best videos and posters will be used for CSEAN’s national cyber security awareness campaign to compliment already existing Stop Think Connect materials,” he said.

On the Cyber Security Awareness Video Category, he said, must be original work and maximum of 60 seconds with local content, focusing on either cyber bullying or how to stay safe using social media with highlight on the associated risks and using hash tag #CyberAwareNG.

For the Poster Category, Afon explained that the poster must be A4 size original work with local content focusing on either phishing; malware, credential harvesting etc or need for strong password and two factor authentication using hash tag #CyberAwareNG.

Afon pointed out that the prizes for winners would include brand new Laptop, Android Tablets and Smartphones.

ITRealms recalled that CSEAN is a non-profit organisation made up of Information security professionals, centred on a collective purpose and vision of championing the cause and awareness of cyber security in Nigeria, acting as an agent of change to address cybercrime phenomena through engaging intellectual minds, business and political leaders.

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Panda Security partners CSEAN on CyberSecure 2017

ITRealms:

Panda Security is partnering with the Cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) on the 2017 international conference, tagged Cyber Secure Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this partnership, CSEAN President, Mr. Remi Afon said that Cyber Secure Nigeria 2017 aims at preparing participants to defend their networks and operations against the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks.

This year, he said, the theme of the event would centre on “Building Resilient Cyber Defence.”    

Also speaking on this development, Regional Manager of Panda Security, Jeremy Matthews said they were proud to announce participation in this event, described it as a great initiative by CSEAN that sheds light on the cyber-security environment, and “What organisations can do to combat the advanced threats we see today.”

Further, he noted that African organisations and governments are no longer immune to the efforts of today’s cyber-criminals, as business leaders and IT professionals need to ensure they are making informed decisions about their cyber-security.

“The drive for profitable attacks by cyber -criminals has seen the number and severity of attacks increase rapidly each quarter for the last few years. In the light of these changes, it is imperative that industry stakeholders collaborate and share their knowledge of products and best practices,” he said.

Panda, ITRealms gathered will provide insights into its new generation technology relating to Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM).

This, the Chief Marketing Officer for Africa, Dominic Richardson, said, changes the model from traditional AV of the past to one based on prevention, detection and response technology.

“A paradigm that Panda Security has implemented through their Adaptive Defence 360 (AD360) solution,” Richardson said.

According to him, Adaptive Defense 360 is the first offering to combine EPP (Endpoint Protection) and EDR capabilities into a single solution. Stressing that by leveraging EDR technology, AD360 accurately classifies all running programs, only allowing legitimate programmes to run.

Richardson also said that closing the cycle of adaptive malware protection, by including automated prevention, detection, forensics and remediation into a holistic solution.

Panda, ITRealms gathered, would be represented by its local partners at the Cyber Secure Nigeria 2017 conference to be held from the 16^th to 18^th of May at CBN International Training Institute, Nigeria.

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CSEAN unveils theme for ‘Cyber Secure Nigeria’ Confab’17

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has unveiled the theme for the 2017 annual Cyber Secure Nigeria conference, slated for Abuja in May, this year, reports ITRealms.

President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon, made this disclosure to ITRealms at the weekend, saying that the theme of this year conference is "Building Resilient Cyber Defence".

He also said that Cyber Secure Nigeria conference has become an annual event which this year is the third of its kind and provides unparalleled cyber security gathering of Industry giants, government, academia, information security professionals from Nigeria and international community.

The three-day conference, he said, would take place between May 16 and 18 at the CBN International Training Centre, Maitama Abuja.

Afon noted that cyber threats and attacks are becoming commonplace, sophisticated and damaging. Governments, organisations and individuals are faced with an evolving complex threat landscape. State and non-state actors are capitalising on vulnerabilities to launch attacks.

He pointed out that through workshops, plenary and breakout sessions, Cyber Secure Nigeria 2017 will prepare participants to defend their networks and operations against growing sophistication of cyber-attacks by building resilient cyber defence.

CSEAN President underscored the fact that the global cost of cybercrime will reach $6 trillion by 2021, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $3 trillion according to Cybersecurity Ventures. “Unfortunately, over 80 per cent of organisations and government agencies in Nigeria believe that since they have not suffered a major cyber-attack, there is no need for security to be implemented in their business plan,” he said.

Afon also quoted a recent report by Kaspersky as showing that North Korean hacking operation linked to Lazarus group targeted banks in 18 countries of which Nigeria was among the targets.

“Clearly, this has shown that Nigeria is not immune to cyber threats,” he said, stressing that the vast scope of cyber threats we face today makes a compelling case for legislation that will compel organisations to have minimum cyber security controls in place and also mandate them to make full disclosure once they are breached. This will assist the nation in understanding attack vectors we face and aid security experts in implementation of adequate security controls,” Afon said.

ITRealms recalls that CSEAN is a non-profit organisation composed of information security professionals in Nigeria and diaspora, recognising the need for unified effort and framework across board to tackle cyber crime. Hence, CSEAN was established as an advocacy group to galvanise the movement and development of Information Security in Nigeria.

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CSEAN says Nigeria data protection law long overdue

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has said that the nation’s distinct data protection law is long overdue, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as Nigeria prepares to join the world in marking 2017 data privacy day on January 28.

National President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon, told ITRealms that CSEAN is using the occasion of commemorating world data privacy day to remind law makers in the country to as matter of urgency enact a data protection law that will control how personal information is being used by government, organisations and businesses in order to guide against misuse of data and ensure adequate security is in place to protect personal data.

“The law if implemented will among other things guarantees that personal information are not kept longer than necessary and not transferred outside Nigeria without adequate protection,” he said.

Afon noted that every January 28, has been designated as Data Protection Day globally, stressing that it is a day set aside to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices.

According to him, CSEAN will be observing the day by highlighting some of the data protection issues commonly faced as a nation and how individuals could protect their personal data through social media, symposium and press releases.

Nigeria, he said, boasts of a population of over 180 million people, pointing out that the value of this figure in economic terms is huge, hence the government through its agencies as well as different organisations collect, process and store the personal data of citizens on regular basis.

“This is not unusual as many governments all over the world do the same for many reasons such as administration, surveillance and public policy. However without a secure central database where such information is stored combined with a strong legal framework that ensures that such data is protected, there is potential for abuse,” he said.

CSEAN lamented that Nigeria neither have a central database nor data protection framework in place which has resulted in different government agencies and private organisations such as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Commercial Banks, and Telecommunications Industries collecting massive personal data.

“These personal data include biometric data, financial information and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Medical records are also being processed on a daily basis by hospitals and private clinics with mere reliance on professional code of ethics,” he decried.

Afon further said that nowadays where governments and organizations face a heightened threat landscape with data breaches constantly on the rise and cyber criminals on the loose, nothing less than an up to date, single and comprehensive enactment of data protection law could adequately match this threat.

Such laws, he said, have been enacted in other parts of the world, for example South Africa recently enacted the Protection of personal Information Act 2013 after the mould of the Data Protection Act 1998 of the United Kingdom.

“A common feature of such laws are provisions which ensure that an individual’s personal data is not only collected lawfully but also used lawfully, kept securely and not circulated without due process and consent of the individual,” he said.

Lack of a similar enactment in Nigeria, CSEAN President lamented, gives a room for abuse, insisting that there is urgent need for a data protection law in Nigeria to strike a balance between the rights of individuals to privacy and the ability of organisations to use data for the purposes of which they were collected and nothing more.

“This will set basic rules of registration for users of data and rights of access to that data for the individuals to which it is related,” he said.

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CSEAN applauds Nigerian banks over dual-level authentication

ITRealms:

The National President of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon, has applauded the Nigerian banks for instituting dual-level authentication in the nation’s financial system, reports ITRealms.

Mr. Afon who was speaking at the 2016 National Cyber Security Awareness Month Event organised by the American Embassy in Lagos at the weekend on “Recognising and Combating Cyber Crime” described the dual authentication by banking institutions in the country, as one of the best guard against cyber fraud in the world today.

According to him, dual authentication by Nigerian banks enables customers to get alert prior to completing a transaction through electronic mail (email) and or by mobile phone one-time password.

He was excited on the effect this kind of authentication will have especially on domiciliary accounts and amounts to increasing cyber concerns and efforts at checkmating fraud by Nigerian cybersecurity professionals.

A standard, he said, is not being offered in developing economies as of today.

On cybercrime facts, Mr. Afon quoted Symantec as underscoring that cybercrime has now surpassed illegal drug trafficking as a criminal money-maker, just as anti-virus company pointed out that somebody’s identity is stolen every 3 seconds as a result of cybercrime.

CSEAN president also noted that Verizon reportedly said that 89 per cent of cybercrime breaches globally had a financial or espionage motive, while Forbes predicted that cybercrime costs have been projected to reach $2 Trillion by 2019.

As said by him, cybercrime damages are expected to cost the world $6 trillion by 2021, just as he outlined some notable Nigerian cybercrime figures.

Afon pointed out that as at November 2015, there is over 97 million Nigerian internet users in the country based on the records of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and quoted the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as recently revealing that between 2012 and 2014, Nigeria lost some N64 billion to cybercrimes, even as the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) indicated that the N127 million is lost yearly to cybercrime in Nigeria, while Ultrascan says that $9.3 Billion cost of cybercrime originate from Nigeria, globally.

Afon underscored some of the progress made by Nigeria in the last few years including the signing of the Cybercrime Act on May 15, 2015.

Nigeria, he equally said, went on launch the National Cybersecurity Policy and as at February 05, 2015, established the National Cybersecurity Strategy, whereas the Cybercrime Advisory Board was inaugurated in April 20, 2016.

For him, the Cyber Crime prosecutions are picking up in the country which is a display of seriousness in combatting cybercrimes. Stressing that Nigeria has established Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERRT.ng) currently under the care of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and ngCert was created and under the guidance of the National Security Advisor (NSA).

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US embassy launches Stop, Think and Connect in Lagos

ITRealms:

The United States embassy in Nigeria has marked the 2016 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) with the launch of the Stop, Think and Connect in Lagos, the commercial centre of the nation, reports ITRealms.

Declaring the event open, the Consul General, Mr. F. John Bray, said that cyber awareness should be everyone’s responsibility, noting that globally, there have been rise in number of individuals, companies, and governments falling victims of cyberattacks.

The concern to protect the populace encouraged in 2009 President Barack Obama’s call for an increase in education and dialogue about cybersecurity in the Cyberspace Security Review.

“As part of this policy review, the Department of Homeland Security created an ongoing Cybersecurity awareness campaign  - StopThinkConnect,” he said.

According to Mr. John Bray, ‘Stop Think Connect’ is a national public awareness campaign designed to raise awareness of cybersecurity and to be more vigilant about practicing safe online habits.”

He urged Nigerians to join the StopThinkConnect campaign so as to have connections to partners and subject matter experts who are committed to increasing online safety; cybersecurity tips, messaging, articles, and presentations; monthly discussions highlighting current cyber issues and trends.

He pointed that people are now spending more time online at home and at work than ever before, stressing that growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber-attacks and risks to people’s privacy, demands greater security in the online world.

ITRealms gathered that every year, billions of dollars are lost through cybercrimes globally, just as Mr. John Bray said that cybersecurity ventures predicts that the global community will lose over $6 trillion annually by year 2021.

Other speakers at the event included the President, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon and country manager of Google Nigeria, Mrs Juliet Chiazor and Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who was ably represented by the Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, while Dr. David Isiavwe moderated the panel.

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Pix: Consul General, Mr. F. John Bray

CSEAN to launch 2016 NCSAM with #ShineYourEye4Internet

ITRealms:

In recognition of the 2016 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has concluded plans to unveil hashtag #ShineYourEye4Internet, reports ITRealms.

CSEAN President, Mr. Remi Afon disclosed this to ITRealms saying that the hashtag #ShineYourEye4Internet, is the group’s way of drawing attentions of Nigerians to internet fraud. This hashtag comes on the heels of #CyberAware and #NoFallInternetMaga, as he enjoined Nigerians to spread the cyber gospel.

He outlined some CSEAN plans for this year’s NCSAM to include launch of the hashtags via social media on October 1.

This, he said, would be followed with a weeklong activity from October 3 through 7 focusing on #Cyberbullying – Moral and Social Responsibility on the Free Highway.

In addition, Mr. Afon said the first week would see CSEAN interactive lecture on ‘Data Privacy’ for members of staff of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as well as a half day lecture on Advanced Persistent Threats for members of staff of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The second week of October 10-14, he said, would focus on #Dataprivacy -  Protecting your personal data from hackers, stressing that CSEAN planned a half day lecture on ‘Identity Theft’ for members of staff of ‘Vehicle Inspection Agency (VIO) and in collaboration with the Lagos Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, a strategically designed cyber security workshop for journalists.

Equally, Afon said, there will be a STOP THINK CONNECT #ShineYourEye4Internet #NoFallInternetMaga awareness campaign in selected secondary schools across Nigeria. 

Just as he said that the week 3 which last till October 21, would centre on #Phishing – Don’t fall for the bait; would be an interactive lecture on phishing for members of staff of selected commercial banks in Nigeria.

The week 4 programme on NCSAM, Afon said would be on #IdentityTheft: Are my identity all over the place? Even as STOP THINK CONNECT alongside #ShineYourEye4Internet #NoFallInternetMaga would be trending among selected higher institutions in the country.

The last and fifth week of NCSAM for 2016, he said, would be on ‘Nigeria: Building Resilience in Critical Systems’ with emphasis on critical infrastructure and highlights of the roles the public in keeping it #secure.

The Internet, he said, underlies nearly every aspect of everyday lives, keeping crucial systems like electricity, transportation and communications up and running, hence, CSEAN is leading the national effort in providing guidance to keep critical infrastructure safe secure.

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CSEAN gets ready for NCSAM 2016

ITRealms:

The members of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) are getting ready for the 2016 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), reports ITRealms.

President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon revealed this to ITRealms at the weekend, urging members to warm up for the annual awareness month campaign to be led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the United States (US) Department of Homeland Security through webinar on Thursday, July 28, this year.

The month-long campaign, he said, every October for the past 13 years to ensure everyone on earth has the opportunity to stay safer, more secured and better able to protect their personal information online.

“Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and all individuals and organizations have roles to play in promoting a safer, more secure and more trusted Internet,” he said.

According to him, as organizations and individuals prepare for NCSAM, it is important for CSEAN members to tune in to a webcast with NCSA Executive Director, Michael Kaiser and Director, SANS Securing The Human, Lance Spitzner; to get the latest on what's coming this October via webinar.

The webinar, Afon noted, would offer some tips for carrying out organizational awareness and education efforts.

In addition, CSEAN president pointed out that attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about NCSAM 2016 as prepare for the month gears up.

He encouraged CSEAN members to ensure they participate through the webinar or send their questions, comments and feedback to: organizer20@sans.org.

ITRealms recalls that CSEAN is a non-profit organisation made up of information security professionals, centred on a collective purpose and vision to be a vehicle championing the cause and awareness of information security best practices, especially in Nigeria.

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Maiturare opens CSEAN cyber security campaign @IBB University

ITRealms:

The Vice Chancelor of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai in Niger State, Professor Muhammad Nasir Maiturare, today, Monday declared open the cyber security campaign in the university hosted by the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this, CSEAN President, Mr. Remi Afon, in a press statement made available to ITRealms, said that Maiturare was joined during the occasion by CSEAN Vice President, Dr. Ismaila Idris who led CSEAN’s Team to the event.

According to him, this heralds CSEAN’s national cyber security awareness campaign targeted at universities and anchored on “STOP THINK CONNECT” was held at the New Auditorium, opposite the University Library.

He listed the aims of STOP-THINK-CONNECT to include educating all Internet users in Nigeria to be practically safe online and ensure that Internet safety is perceived as a shared responsibility at homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.

In addition, he said, the campaign aims at transforming the way the public and private sectors collaborate to make cybersecurity a workaday reality.

CSEAN, he explained initially launched STOP-THINK-CONNECT on January 2015 at association’s annual conference in Abuja and has since been spreading the campaign through social media, symposium and lectures in secondary schools and tertiary institutions across the country.

CSEAN intends to launch the campaign in all tertiary institutions and secondary schools in Nigeria. The association recently kick started the higher institution  campaign in two Federal Universities namely Federal University of Technology Minna and University of Abuja and has lined up ten other Universities for awareness campaign before the end of the year.

Afon pointed out that CSEAN is presently partnering STOP-THINK-CONNECT; a first-ever global public awareness campaign developed to help all Internet users keep their data, personal information, communications, and transactions safer and more secure online.

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NDSF 2016: CSEAN, DigitalSENSE Africa unveil Stop, Think, Connect campaign

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has partnered DigitalSENSE Africa Media on the national cybersecurity awareness campaign tagged Stop, Think, Connect (STC) with the unveiling at the 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) series, last Friday, reports ITRealms.

The unveiling was part of the two-day NDSF 2016 was graced by the National President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon, who led dignitaries at the forum to the unveiling told participants that CSEAN is a non-profit organisation made up of information security professionals championing awareness on best practices, and acting as an agent of change to address cybercrime phenomena through engaging intellectual minds, business and political leaders.

Afon also told participants at the Day-2 of NDSF 2016 which was used to host the Nigeria Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) Roundtable, noted that with the kind of fast internet expected with IPv6 evolution, the unveiling of Stop, Think, Connect, is very apt.

He explained that the Stop-Think-Connect campaign’s overarching goal is to help internet users understand not only the risks that come with using the Internet, but also the importance of practicing safe online behavior.

Pointing out that CSEAN is a global partner of Stop-Think-Connect and aims to roll out the campaign in all nook and corners of Nigeria, stressing that his team have started rolling out the campaign in tertiary institutions and secondary schools.

Commending the management of DigitalSENSE Africa, the organisers of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable for partnering CSEAN on this campaign, Mr. Afon outlined some of the key concerns to include issues affecting every Internet users, cyberbullying.

“Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online. It can happen in an email, a text message, an online game, or on a social networking site. It might involve rumors or images posted on someone’s profile or passed around for other people to see,” he said.

CSEAN president also advised participants to be weary of bullying, asserting “Don’t stand for bullying—online or off. Treat others the way you want to be treated—whether you’re interacting with them online, on your phone or in person.

Further, he urged participants made up youths and students to always speak up, mostly when they see something inappropriate on a social networking site or in a game or chat room, let the website know and tell an adult “you trust” by using ‘Report Abuse’ links which could help keep sites fun for everyone.

On his part, the Lead Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mr. Remmy Nweke said that the partnership is meant to further stimulate the vision of DigitalSENSE group to stimulate consciousness on the public, especially in Nigeria and among the youths and students on positive use of the Internet rather than the notorious yahoo, yahoo syndrome.

This, he said, would in addition help in discovering future ethical information security professionals by catching them young for a better Internet eco-system from this part of the world.

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman; General Manager, Information Security, National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Ogungbe; President, cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria, Mr. Remi Afon;  Executive Director, Operations DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke; Chairman of the Occasion, President, Nigeria Computer Society,  Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Social Media, AnambraState, Mr. Ifeanyi  Aniagoh;  Broadband and Converged Solution Phas3Telecom, Mr. Remi Adedoyin; during the unveiling the Stop Think Connect at Closing Ceremony of 2 day 2016DigitalSENSE Africa Forum in Lagos.

CSEAN president calls for coordinated response against emerging cyber threats

ITRealms:

The president of the Cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon has called for a coordinated response system as a counter measure for emerging cyber security threats, reports ITRealms.

He made this call at the opening address to the 2016 Cyber Secure Nigeria ongoing at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja on Wednesday.

Afon said that this will avert potential for cyber attacks to cause damage at a societal level, stressing that coordinated response will pave a way for dependable infrastructure, industry and key organizations for capable of identified and addressed.

"Given the scale and scope of the challenge, responsibility for the solution should be shared by government, cyber security professionals and private organizations," he said.

Afon emphasized that criminals are stepping up their game and date breaches are increasingly common and devastating, "That its why we need to act together."

In addition, he pointed out that as economies, society and businesses become ever more dependent on the internet, understanding not only the current threat landscape, but also the potential impact of developing threats is crucial to security and ultimately business management.

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Pix: CSEAN Vice President, Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu, CSEAN president, Remi Afon, CPN President, Prof. Vincent Asor, Rep. Vice President Osinbanjo, SA Rule of Law 

CSEAN cautions Senate over attempt to muzzle social media, says it’ll spur identity theft

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has sounded a note of caution over the Nigerian Senate attempt to muzzle the social media, saying it would give rise to cybercrime and urged Senate to kill the bill as matter of urgency, reports ITRealms.

CSEAN national president, Mr. Remi Afon in a press statement made available to ITRealms said that the group condemned in totality the proposed bill entitled “An Act to prohibit frivolous petitions and other matters connected therewith” otherwise known as “Social Media Bill” which is meant to punish those found guilty with imprisonment or fine. 

He described the bill as “retrogressive, baseless, unrealistic, and has the propensity of increasing cyber crime in Nigeria.”

Pointing out that social media is an ardent tool to expose and fight against oppression, corruption, injustice, and lends voice to the voiceless. 

Afon also said that the rise of social media has shown that the Internet is truly a democratic medium where people could make their opinions known, insisting that no new law is needed in Nigeria to deal with social media misuse, if any, as the existing law coupled with the cyber crime law deal effectively with false allegations, libel and related offences. 

“All that is needed is a better understanding of the existing law as it is applicable to offences committed on the internet. The proposed bill is tantamount to a backdoor attempt to clamp down on free speech as enriched in Section 39(1) of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria and as guaranteed by Article 19 of the United Nations universal declaration on human rights,” Afon said.

He further said that Internet has no borders, thus, the proposed bill if passed into law would create more damage than good in that people would begin to engage in identity theft, create bogus social media accounts and use proxies to remain anonymous in order to air their views which in effect will increase cyber crime. 

“At this stage when all hands should be on deck to track down cyber criminals who often use anonymous accounts and online anonymous proxies, it will be bad to push bloggers, Twitter, Facebook and other social media users into the dark world of internet,” he decried, suggesting that rather, the law enforcement agencies should be empowered to take down offensive posts and track down cyber criminals by way of capacity building.

CSEAN, Afon said, called on lawmakers to kill the bill as a matter of urgency.

+ITRealms DSA +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)

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