CSEAN to discuss impact of rising cybercrimes at conference

Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) will gather stakeholders and experts together to discuss impact of rising cybercrime in Nigeria.

Scheduled to hold on June 21 and 22, in Abuja, the conference is hybrid, which would allow interested participants to join remotely. This year, the conference theme is “Cybersecurity: An imperative in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.”

Announcing the conference, President, CSEAN, Remi Afon, said the security threat landscape in Nigeria has evolved rapidly; terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and unknown gunmen attacks are increasing in number and sophistication.

Afon, who noted that the March 28 Abuja-Kaduna train attack; terrorists attack at a church in Owo, Ondo State, where more than 40 people were believed to have been killed, among others, said criminal elements are proving to be both resilient and adaptive to traditional security techniques and countermeasures, “it is about time we take a technological approach to resolving our overwhelming security challenges.”

Afon said criminal elements cannot succeed in their attacks without the use of information and communications technologies (ICT), specifically, the use of mobile phones, the Internet, and other electronic media they sometimes use to record their activities via video to pass their message across.

He said they use these technologies to commit, incite, recruit for, fund, or plan terrorist, kidnapping, and other criminal acts. “Every crime committed, be it terrorism or kidnapping is preceded by a planning stage, an effective counter-surveillance program by the government will increase the chance of intervening or detecting a threat as soon as possible. GPS tracking, Drones, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Forensic Investigation, Lawful Interception of electronic communication as well as the use of social media to collect open-source information and digital evidence can be proactively deployed to stem the tide of insecurity.”