Rasheed Jimoh: Nigeria needs to improve on Cybersecurity Awareness

In this interview with Sunday Ehigiator, Cyber Security expert and analyst, Rasheed Jimoh, speaks on the need for Nigeria to improve awareness of cybersecurity

Let’s meet you?

I am Rasheed Jimoh, a cybersecurity professional who prides himself on continuous learning, and staying up-to-date with industry standards and best practices.

Take us through your upbringing and educational background?

I was raised in Lagos. I have my bachelors in public administration and rural development, where most of my studies were done on the computer, which enhanced my ability such as teamwork, continuous improvement, presentation and public speaking skills.

What informed your decision into delving into cybersecurity?

Since we did the introduction to computers in primary school coupled with my love for games, aided me to always want to learn more about the computer which I later find to power most of the most wonderful inventions the world has experienced.

Technology is at the forefront of human development for an easier life, safety, productivity, livelihood and convenience of the people. Bad people are taking advantage of technology to cause denial of service, disruption to livelihood, and businesses, including critical infrastructures.

Security is a must to ensure business continuity, disaster recovery and overall smooth running of the society. The ability to stop bad things from happening and depending on the world makes cyber security an easy choice because you can feel like a hero doing the right things, protecting friends, family, and the world while supporting the growth and improvement of technology.

Take us through your work and experience as a cyber security analyst?

I am an expert in network monitoring to ensure visibility into the network, understanding what is going on and watching for anomalies or inconsistent behaviour.

My work also entails, preventing and providing infrastructure from security threats using intellectual gathering and actively fine-tuning available tools to get the most efficient outcome to support business and ensure technology, people and processes are going according to standard and best practices.

The goal of security is to protect against external and internal threats.

How well would you say Nigerians have inculcated cybersecurity in their dealings?

I know a lot of people are well aware of the security risk but do not take security seriously until they witness the impact of a breach or threat exploiting vulnerability.

I will continue to use my voice to further reach more people and bring the people’s attention to security for the growth of the people, communities, nation and the world at large.

How important is cybersecurity to national security?

Critical infrastructures such as transportation, communication, buildings and power supplies are now being managed and maintained technologically thereby creating a need to secure access to the control and management plane because should the bad guy or an APT (advance persistent threat) gain access, it could be used politically, economically and ideologically to manipulate the population, start a war or other nefarious purposes.

Cybersecurity is essential to protect and prevent unauthorized access while adhering to the CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability) triad.

How can cybersecurity further strengthen the security architecture of the nation, especially with several external threats and uprisings?

It can by ensuring nationwide awareness. Security by design approach needs to be adhered to when building new architecture while making sure they are sustainable.

Another way is to ensure network segmentation. Assume breach always by creating a zero trust architecture to stop pivoting or elevation of privilege.

Another was to create a clear and concise plan of action following best standards, and also get more interested Nigerians trained to be subject matter experts (SME). This way, they will be more job creation and empowerment, while they also imbibe a better understanding of where to prevent, protect, defends and how to respond to threats.

Would you say Nigeria has improved in cybersecurity awareness compared to what it used to be years back?

Obviously, people and the government are paying more attention to the ongoing threats and it has continued to get better daily.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is in charge of the creation of policies, and national security responses to cyber breaches, trends and threats. A lot of good policies are in place, but we definitely can do better with actions.

How important is cybersecurity and how can Nigeria further improve its awareness?

Cybersecurity is very important as much as physical security, because people’s livelihood, finances, personally identifiable information and health information largely depend on it, which put most of the population at risk of a breach.

We need to create more security awareness to further expose the bad actors and help the population stay vigilant and protected at all times.

This can be achieved via the use of mass media, social media, incorporating it into school courses, job onboarding and more because we can never be over-aware, we can only be under-aware.

Any other information you would like to put out not covered by the interview?

I would love to thank the interviewer for the opportunity to discuss this throbbing matter which I am always passionate about and happy to discuss. It is with great pleasure that I hope to continue to shed light on the emphasis and benefit of cybersecurity and we need to incorporate the next generation into this process as fast as possible so that we can have a better secured future ahead.

How do you unwind?

I spend time with family, cooking, swimming, taking a walk, playing video games and watching movies.