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Concerns as cybercriminals unleash SMS-based Android malware — Nigeria — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

January 30, 2022/in Mobile Security

Data services push MTNN revenue to N1.7tr in 2021, as the firm pays N669.2b taxes

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted Nigerians on a new high-risk Short Messaging Service-based malware, TangleBot, infecting Android mobile devices.

TangleBot employs more or less similar tactics as the recently announced notorious FlutBot SMS Android malware that targets mobile devices. TangleBot equally gains control of the device but in a far more invasive manner than FlutBot.

The disclosure was made in a recent security advisory made available to NCC’s New Media and Information Security Department by the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT).

TangleBot is installed when an unsuspecting user clicks on a malicious link disguised as COVID-19 vaccination appointment-related information in an SMS message or information about fake local power outages that are due to occur.

NCC explained that the aim behind both or either of the messages (on COVID-19 or impending power outages) is to encourage potential victims to follow a link that supposedly offers detailed information. Once at the page, users are asked to update applications such as Adobe Flash Player to view the page’s content by going through nine dialogue boxes to give acceptance to different permissions that will allow the malware operators to initiate the malware configuration process.

According to the commission, the immediate consequence is that TangleBot gains access to several different permissions when installed on a device, allowing it to eavesdrop on user communications. The malware then steals sensitive data stored on the device and monitors almost every user activity, including camera use, audio conversations, and location, among others.

Furthermore, the malware takes complete control of the targeted device, including access to banking data, and can reach the deepest recesses of the Android operating system.

“The NCC, therefore, wishes to, once again, urge millions of telecom consumers to be wary of such wiles of cybercriminals, whose intent is to defraud unsuspecting Internet users.”

To ensure maximum protection for Internet users in the country, ngCERT has offered a number of preventive…

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Insider Q&A: Internet guardian Ron Deibert of Citizen Lab

January 24, 2022/in Internet Security

By FRANK BAJAK

BOSTON (AP) — The internet watchdog Citizen Lab has been remarkably effective in calling to account governments and private sector firms that use information technology to put people in peril.

Its digital sleuths at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs are best known for exposing abusive targeted espionage, particularly through the use of . Its Pegasus tool has been used to hack and surveil dozens of journalists, human rights activists and dissidents globally. In November, the U.S. government and and notified Pegasus victims.

Citizen Lab’s work elsewhere is less known. It exposes digital espionage campaigns and insecure software, most recently for athletes, journalists and other foreigners attending the Winter Olympics.

The Associated Press recently spoke with Citizen Lab’s director, . The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: You founded Citizen Lab in 2001. How did that happen?

A: I was doing work on how intelligence agencies use satellite reconnaissance technology for arms control verification. It exposed me to a world that I didn’t even know existed. I saw the mixture of tools being used to gather electronic evidence and wondered why something like that could not be done in the public interest, on behalf of journalists, NGOs, and human rights activists. And what better place to do such evidence-based research – alongside people with technical skills I didn’t have — than at a university? This was all in the back of my mind when the Ford Foundation reached out to see if I was interested in a project on information tech and international security. So I pitched the lab as “counterintelligence for global civil society.” It was hubris at the time. I had no case to make such a claim. But here we are many years later, fulfilling that role.

Q: What do you consider Citizen Lab’s greatest contributions? And is it growing?

A: I think the greatest thing we’ve done is develop a reputation for research that is highly credible, methodical and unbiased. We go where the evidence leads us and are beholden to no one. I have been able to surround myself with very talented, highly ethical people most of whom could be…

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Nigeria lags behind Mauritius, Ghana, others in cybersecurity ranking | The Guardian Nigeria News

July 9, 2021/in Computer Security

•Country ranks 47th on global index
•ITU wants govts to block $6tr estimated loss to cybercrime in 2021

Nigeria has ranked 47th on the global cybersecurity index (GCI) 2020. This is even as the global telecoms body ranked Mauritius, Tanzania and Ghana respectively, ahead of Nigeria, in countries in Africa, tackling cybercrimes headlong.

The index examined the readiness of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) member countries in curbing the rising cybercrime.

The GCI, which ranked 182 countries, is ITU’s document that monitors countries’ growing commitment around the world in tackling and reducing cybersecurity threats.

GCI 2020, the index’s fourth iteration, measures the cybersecurity commitments of 193 ITU member states and the State of Palestine. It aimed to identify gaps, serve as a roadmap to guide national strategies, inform legal frameworks, build capacity, highlight good practices, strengthen international standards and foster a culture of cybersecurity.

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.

According to GCI 2020, around half of countries globally said they have formed a national computer incident response team (CIRT), indicating an 11 per cent increase since 2018. The rapid uptake of information and communication technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic has put cybersecurity at the forefront.

The GCI ranked USA number one ahead of other countries with 100 per cent measures in tackling cybercrime menace across the globe. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia tied on second with 99.54 per cent each while Estonia ranked third with 99.48 per cent.

On the index, Mauritius, which leads Africa, shared 17th position with Norway at 96.89 per cent. On the list, Egypt is next for Africa, ranking 23rd with 95.48 per cent followed by Tanzania, which ranked 37th with 90.58 per cent, and Ghana is third at 43rd with 86.69 per cent. Tunisia followed Ghana with 86.23 per cent at 45th position, Nigeria is ranked 47th with 84.76 per cent.

ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, affirmed…

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Scamwatch: want to see who’s viewed your social media profile? Think again. | Cowra Guardian

November 8, 2020/in Computer Security

Every year, thousands of Australians are targeted by scams, whether it be online, via phone, mail or even in person. Australian Community Media has compiled a list of current scams identified on sites such as scamwatch.gov.au and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website dedicated to informing people about fraudulent and dishonest activities:

Have you been scammed?

Have you been a victim of a recent scam? Australian Community Media is interested in publishing first-hand accounts from those who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous operators. If you’re interested in sharing your story as a warning to others, contact Anna Wolf at [email protected].

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