ISSAN Calls for Collaboration to Boost Cyber Security

Nume Ekeghe

Stakeholders in the Nigerian cyber security space under the aegis of the Information Security Society of Africa-Nigeria (ISSAN) have called for collaboration to boost cyber security in the country.

The call was made recently by the body at a workshop with the theme: “DDoS Evolution – Staying Protected,” organised by ISSAN in collaboration with 21st Century Technologies Ltd, that held in Lagos, recently.

The President of ISSAN, Dr. David Isiavwe, decried the worsening state of cyber security in the country.

He added: “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.”

Isiavwe who is also the Group Head Operations & Technology, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, further lamented the fact that everyone and institution was susceptible to attack as social engineering was unrelenting.

According to him, data-based manipulation, both from insiders and outsiders, was on the rise.

He, therefore, called on all stakeholders to be proactive and stressed the need for more awareness on the matter. Furthermore, he said there was need for continuous and automated monitoring of systems and infrastructure as well as the adoption of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, robotics and data analytics.

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.