Nigeria Newspapers Online

The rate of cyber-attacks in Nigeria has assumed a frightening dimension in recent years with a high record of success on targets.

International Telecommunica­tions Union (ITU) in its global cy­bersecurity index (GCI) 2020 ranks Nigeria 47th among countries tack­ling cybercrimes headlong.

The index disclosed that coun­tries are working to improve their cyber safety despite the challenges of COVID-19 and the rapid shift of everyday activities into the digital sphere.

Financial, health, intellectual, and government information are the most likely to be stolen. This determines which industries are most vulnerable to cyberattacks. There’s an ongoing debate over the ranking, but according to IBM Secu­rity, the list of seven industries that are most vulnerable to cybercrime. Other industries such as agricul­ture, construction, management, service, media and entertainment, technology and software, transpor­tation, hospitality, and communica­tions also face the risk of inside or outside attackers breaching their important data.

Despite notable improvements, gaps in cyber capacity persist, ac­cording to ITU. The GCI revealed that many countries and regions lag in key areas.

These include cybersecurity skills training, which must be tailored to the needs of citizens, micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); finance, healthcare, energy, and other key sectors, which require dedicated measures to close cybersecurity gaps; critical infrastructure pro­tection, which requires enhance­ment to meet new and evolving cyber threats and Individual data protection, which requires contin­ual reinforcement as online activity expands.

In Nigeria, one company has dis­tinguished itself in providing effec­tive strategy in addressing issues in the key sectors that ITU report identified and that company is Dig­ital Encode.

Digital Encode is a leading con­sulting and integration firm found­ed in 2003 that specializes in the design, management, and security of business-critical networks, tele­communications environments and other Information Technology (IT) infrastructures.

Recognized in the industry for its vendor-independent perspective, the firm’s expertise lies in solving multifaceted, complex enterprise network security and audit prob­lems.

At Digital Encode, technology serves two purposes: to save money and solve a problem. Digital Encode also provides advisory services to­ward improvements in Information Security Management, Network Se­curity, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Risk Management and Business Continuity Management.

Digital Encode unique method­ology is rooted in the concept that a company should run its IT orga­nization as a business. Throughout the well-defined process, Digital En­code translates strategic business objectives into sound, achievable technology solutions. This ap­proach ensures that the technology never obscures the business goals.

Digital Encode has managed sev­eral projects for banks in the coun­try, including penetration testing and vulnerability assessments for PCIDSS certifications.

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It has also assisted many organi­sations to deliver ISO 27001:13 cer­tifications which is a testament to their teamwork, focus, drive and will to succeed.

Recently, Digital Encode got li­censed under the Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCO) by the National Information Tech­nology Development Agency (NIT­DA).

With the development, Digital Encode is recognised by NITDA to provide training, auditing, and consulting services throughout the country in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) principles.

Among the objectives behind the regulation were the protection of the privacy rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens, on the one hand, and the promotion of local and foreign investments in the digital economy by safeguarding the in­formation systems infrastructure against breaches and implementing internationally compatible rules.

As a DPCO, Digital Encode is ex­pected to verify self-audits prior to submission to NITDA. This is a means of decentralising compli­ance activities for more efficiency.

Dr. Peter Adewale Obadare, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Digital Encode, who is also the Director of Governance, Risk and Compliance at Digital Encode, said as Pan-African cyber security, the company would con­tinue to keep assisting individuals and businesses protect their infor­mation assets.

Dr. Seyi Akindeinde, Chief Tech­nical Officer of Digital Encode, said the license would remain a testament to Digital Encode unique methodology rooted in the concept of professionalism.

Akindeinde added that while as­sisting companies to achieve the data protection goals through a well-defined secure process, Digital Encode would continue to translate strategic business objectives into sound, achievable technology solu­tions.

Dr. Wale Obadare and Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, both founders of Dig­ital encode have expressed worries over the implementation of non-im­pactful cyber security solutions to organizations by vendors which have resulted in increased loss of money and data by organizations.

They cautioned organisations on over-dependence on cyber security products for protection against cy­ber-attacks. Obadare further said that a major challenge organiza­tions face in the fight against cy­bercriminals and cyber warfare is the lack of trained manpower.

“I have been in the cyber security ecosystem for many years now and have identified a lack of trained manpower in most organizations. Cyber security is not a certificate that speaks for you, but a contin­uous training to be ahead of the smart criminals. Most organiza­tions find it difficult to continually update their IT security staff to be able to face cyber threats,” he said.

Akindeinde, emphasized the need for a national cyber security framework against industry specif­ic frameworks.

“There are a number of frame­works aimed at assisting most or­ganizations in preventing cyber-at­tacks. A prime example is the ISO 27001 ISMS. A more specific one for the financial / payments sector is the PCI DSS. This is a regulatory framework. I think it’s a case of the level of maturity of cybersecurity in the banking sector. Other sec­tors have not got to that advanced stage of maturity which is why the banks seem to be at the forefront of preventing and addressing issues related to Cybersecurity,” he said.