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.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

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.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

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)

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Nigeria may suffer shortfall of cyber security experts by 2020 - Expert

ITRealms:

The most populous black nation, Nigeria may have shortage of cyber security experts in the next five years, according to Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) reports ITRealms.

The president, CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon, made this disclosure while announcing the forthcoming workshop of his group slated in Abuja, saying there will be a 1.5 million shortfall of cyber security experts by the year 2020.

In a press statement by the CSEAN president in Abuja said the group was planning to organise training for stakeholders in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sub sector of the economy.

He said the training is expected to empower participants to combat cyber-crimes in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the private sector.

Afon also noted the scheduled three-day capacity building would serve as the association's contribution to cyber security development in the country, stressing it would provide participants with basic skills to build knowledge and skills against cyber-attacks.

"Through lecture, hands-on lab exercises, and group discussion, participants will gain a foundational perspective on the challenges of designing cyber security program, implementing secure systems, and other factors needed for a comprehensive cyber security solution,” he said.

Afon emphasised that the training will cover all modules required to pass the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) internationally recognised Global Cyber Security Fundamental Certificate exams.

 

ITRealms
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pic: Remi Afon, CSEAN president