Ahead of 5G Rollout, ESET Moves to Secure IoT Devices from Cyber Threats

Emma Okonji

As August 24th rollout date for the commercial launch of 5G network in Nigeria draws closer, ESET Nigeria has assured individuals, businesses and government of its readiness to offer solutions that will protect their Internet of Things (IoT) devices from cyber threats.

The Managing Director of ESET West Africa (Anglophone), Mr. Olufemi Ake, who gave the assurance while speaking to journalists at the recently concluded Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) International Conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said ESET thrived on securing IoT devices and had in the past, earned international accolades for the effectiveness of its solutions.

He said the company would replicate the same solutions in Nigeria, ahead of 5G rollout on August 24.

Speaking on the conference theme: ‘Smart, Secure and Sustainable Nation’, Ake said it would implie that for a modern nation to be sustainable the people have to think intentional about adopting smart and secure systems in every sphere, which according to him, cuts across public and private sectors.

“In other words, we have to make the internet secure as the bedrock of a smart city. Smart cities and smart homes imply there will be connected devices such as vehicles communicating with each other and communicating with humans via the internet, while mobile devices, laptops, and Internet of Things (IoT) will be communicating without any downtime.

“You will agree that once the internet is made available, you are guaranteed a sustainable smart city. Now, how do you make it secure? This is our area of specialisation. ESET thrives excellently on securing IoT devices. This is the future. Will you ever imagine being in a situation where your car navigation system is being hacked and you are misdirected to a strange location where negative actions are perpetrated? ESET comes in to strengthen security and protection of those devices, which further guarantees a safer smart city,’ Ake said.

While stressing the need for the adoption of solid security solution ahead of 5G network rollout, Ake said: “First, we have to be intentional with our approach to solutions deployment. We are so quick to adopt the latest technology which is not a bad idea. However, we seem to be slow in adopting security solutions for those connected devices. So, if we as a nation are going to adopt 5G, which enhances IoT connectivity, then we should be mindful of its security aspects. As we hold international conferences, we should preach security as the bedrock of the acceptability of these devices. We have to continue to educate our people. Education is very key, and just as we are complaining about the physical security situation in the country, we should also be interested in securing our cyberspace because the cyberspace must be secured for the country to reap the benefits of 5G.

Giving details of the readiness of ESET to protect IoT devices, Ake said: “5G is just being deployed in Nigeria, but it has already been deployed in over 1,500 cities across the world. So, it is not new to us as a business and we are futuristic. We think about these things before they are launched. For instance, TV is categorized under IoT. It is very smart and gives the external world access to your home. So, if it is hacked, you have probably given outsiders access to your living room through smart cameras. When that happens, cyber criminals keep monitoring your activities and can socially engineer attacks against you.”