Abuja: Some experts have applauded the Federal Government for investing heavily in cybersecurity infrastructures and skills to protect Nigeria from cyber attacks and disruptions. The experts spoke at a three-day customer workshop organized by Flexip Group (FPG) Technologies and Solutions Ltd. and Checkpoint Technologies.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the cybercrimes economy has reached nine trillion dollars, with about 86 billion dollars worth of transactions being monitored daily on a global scale. Mr. Rex Mafiana, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FPG Technology and Solutions, commended the Federal Government institutions for their investments in Critical National Infrastructures (CNI) and assets aimed at safeguarding the nation’s cyber space.
Mafiana expressed concern over the increasing rates of cyber attacks worldwide but was pleased with the proactive measures implemented by the government to stay ahead of cyber crooks and criminals. He stressed the importance of establishing dig
ital boundaries and borders against cyber attacks in both the public and private sectors, emphasizing that the security, trust, and integrity of critical national infrastructure and assets should never be compromised.
The Chief Technology Officer of Checkpoints Africa, Issam El-Haddioui, elaborated on how cyber attacks are typically executed by cyber criminals. El-Haddioui noted that these criminals primarily target the theft of information, intellectual properties, and financial data, among other objectives. He warned that most attacks originate from phishing and identity theft and urged government authorities and the private sector to closely monitor vulnerabilities in different environments and adopt technologies capable of preventing such attacks.
El-Haddioui concluded by stating, “Cybersecurity is a journey. It is not something that you do once and forget. You have to constantly upgrade and update. Security is becoming more complex in the cyber space, so it is important that all stakeholders take actio
n and prevent attacks.”
The experts highlighted the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as exemplary institutions in their cybersecurity operations. They also mentioned the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (NNPCL) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as key players in the field.
The workshop was attended by representatives from the NNPCL, CBN, NITDA, Data Protection Commission, and members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS).