Cyber Threats: PPC Harps on Upgrade of Critical Security Infrastructure

Emma Okonji

PPC Nigeria, a foremost ICT and infrastructure development company, has stressed the need for upgrade of critical security infrastructure, following the recent advances in cyber threats as a result of the rising adoption of latest technologies by organisations in Nigeria.

In response to a series of cybersecurity alerts issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Head of the ICT Division at PPC Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Ede, while speaking in Lagos, said cyber-criminals were now using sophisticated tools to take control of outdated IT systems and gain remote access to important customer data.

The implication of this, according to him, is that organisations whose security has been breached will experience disruption of critical operations, loss of revenue and important data.

He stated that the credibility and reputational damage the activities of malicious cyber hackers cause were often irreversible, adding that neglect of vulnerabilities in IT systems would hamper overall business performance.

The NCC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) issued different security alerts in the past months, urging Nigerians to be wary of five malicious Google Chrome Extensions, compromised apps and vulnerabilities in specific antivirus products that secretly track users’ activities online and compromise their data.

The telecoms regulator said the malwares, which have high damage potential, have been downloaded multiple times by unsuspecting people and consequently jeopardizing the privacy of users.