Stakeholders in Nigeria recently gathered at a Cyber Security Workshop Themed: “DDoS Evolution – Staying Protected” to x-ray ways to boost cyber security within the country.

The event which was organized by the Information Security Society of Africa-Nigeria (ISSAN) in collaboration with 21st Century Technologies Ltd was held at the 21st Century Technologies Limited SOC Centre, Lekki, Lagos.

While welcoming stakeholders at the Workshop, the President of ISSAN, Dr. David Isiavwe, decried the worsening state of cyber security in the country. He said, “Those who watch the cyber space closely will all agree that there is a lot of happenings each and every day. New forms of attacks are being contrived and implemented by the bad guys, and all they need is one successful attempt. We hear of all the various attacks both on individuals and companies alike. Indeed, even the cyber security gatekeepers are not spared. And huge sums of money are at risk each time there is a successful attack.”

Dr. Isiavwe who is also the Group Head Operations & Technology, Ecobank Nig. Ltd, further lamented the fact that everyone and every institution is susceptible to these attacks as social engineering attack is unrelenting, data based manipulation-insiders and outsiders is on the rise, attack on card data and card processing technology infrastructure via rogue IT infrastructure, spear phishing attack and combination of different methodologies are rampant.

He therefore called on all stakeholders to be proactive, create customer awareness activities, continuous and automated monitoring of systems and infrastructure, employment of AI and Machine Learning as well as robotics and data analytics. He also called on collaborations between all stakeholders.

Speaking on the theme of the workshop in a keynote address, Long Lee Shih – DDoS Security Expert, Nexusguard Ltd, also explained how individuals and organisations can avoid being victims of cyber attacks, including Origin Protection (OP) for large networks, among others. His keynote address was followed by a robust plenary session that included Dr Wale Obadare, MD/COO, Digital Encode Ltd; Long Lee Shih, Ighoakpo Eduje, Chief Information Security Officer, Heritage Bank Ltd; Igboa Abumere, Chief Information Security Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank; Bharat Soni, Chief Information Security Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Dr. David Isiavwe.

The Information Security Society of Africa – Nigeria is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of Nigeria’s cyberspace. It also involved in ensuring the security of Banking Systems and applications, ATMs, e-government systems and the entire cyberspace in Nigeria.
Membership for the body cuts across both public and private sectors of the economy including Banks, Telecommunications Operators, Government parastatals, switching companies, IT and IT Security Consultancies, Legal Practitioners with a keen interest in cyber-related matters as well as regulators.

ISSAN has existed for over six years in Nigeria and has proved to be a veritable platform for collaboration and exchange of ideas by members of the Banking and e-commerce public especially with regard to safekeeping of PINS, controls over passwords, access to the internet as well as steps organizations should take to keep their systems healthy and safe at all times. ISSAN performs a critical role in ensuring that Information Security professionals find their voice on matters of Information Security and that all stakeholders are duly informed of the steps to take to contribute their little quota towards ensuring a safe society.