Nigeria drops two places, ranks 16th most vulnerable to mobile malware in Q1

Nigeria has been placed in the 16th position on the highest ranked countries in the world vulnerable to mobile malware attacks, according to the quarterly analysis of the global threat index by Checkpoint Software Technologies for the end of the first quarter of 2016.

Some analysts see higher possibility of rising threat of the attack, as people begin to intensify efforts on online or mobile financial transactions as over half of the mobile phone malware are specifically targeted to financial information on the devices which are currently fraught with security issues.

“With more financial services being offered via the web, mobile attack will increase the target surface of cyber threats and frauds,” says Michael Odusami, President of MAXUT Consulting.

Femi Fadairo, Head, Industry Security, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), said Nigerians are becoming too comfortable transacting on electronic channels through their phone without taking precautionary measures.

“Online fraud is moving to mobile because so many people do not have anti-virus or anti- malware installed on their phones. We are so lax with our mobile phones compared to all the steps we take to make sure our desktops and laptops are safe.

“There are so many apps that we download without even knowing what we are downloading. I have seen cases where to download a simple torchlight app, a notification comes up asking to gain access to your phonebook or camera and some technology novice will just press ok without reading terms and conditions. These are ways fraudulent app developers use to gain access to vital information,” Fadairo added.

According to the report, the deteriorating position of Nigeria, losing two places from the last 18thposition could be traced to the increased popularity and growth of telecommunications industry with the attendant targets by cybercriminals who have easier access to personal information for fraudulent activities through mobile financial and social media applications.

The index, which is based on threat intelligence drawn from the cyber security vendor’s cloud world cyber threat map, tracks how and where cyber attacks are taking place worldwide in real time. It also shows the African nations highly represented in upper rankings of the index, and Nigeria was surpassed by a handful of other African countries including Namibia and Malawi in second and fourth spots respectively.

With over N159 billion lost by Nigerians through online scam and identity theft between 2000 and 2013, as well as 2,175 websites defaced within the same period, it shows deep disparities in the threat environments in Africa, and the potential for increased attacks as cyber criminals target mobile devices. 

In stark contrast, Kenya improved its ranking by 24 places, moving from 45th position at the end of 2015 to 69th   in first quarter of 2016.

Rick Rogers, Area Manager for East and West Africa at Check Point Software Technologies, says Nigeria’s worsening ranking may be due to a dramatic increase in threats targeting mobile devices specifically, while Kenya’s improvement could reflect a growing maturity in security awareness.

“It’s not immediately clear why the East and West African hubs are experiencing such different moves in terms of cyber-attacks, and we are generally seeing a lot of volatility month to month for many of the countries on the index. But this quarter, mobile malware ranked as one of the ten most prevalent attack types affecting corporate networks and devices for the first time ever.

“With Africa being the ‘mobile-first’ and often ‘mobile-only’ continent, this new wave of threats is likely to have a strong impact on the number of attacks evidenced in the region.

“Individuals who run their businesses off mobile devices, as well as organisations that have a bring-your-own-device policy, will need to prepare for this in their security strategy. It is necessary to apply the same level of security to mobile as required by traditional networks and PCs, and security professionals must have a coherent, over-arching threat management approach that addresses this.”

In 2013, James Rutherford of Nokia Corporation said: “the sub-$100 Smartphone is steadily becoming a reality globally. Low end Smartphones are increasingly available and these types of mobile phone will likely grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 percent over the coming years.”

This forecast has become evident in latest reports by GFK retail and technology Nigeria, which lists Nigeria as the third highest tech device growth market globally in 2015, with a 13 percent growth between 2014 and 2015. According to the report, sales of technology devices rose from $5.1 billion in 2014 to $5.7 billion in 2015.

As a result, analysts say the increase in popularity of Smartphones creates an open avenue for hackers and cybercriminals to move from the traditional desktop and laptop online fraud to mobile online space which virtual has a more open access to personal and financial information such as mobile banking apps, social media apps and the likes, personal emails and the likes.

Hence, Industry watchers say the importance of improving online security measures and regulation of mobile phone activities cannot be over emphasised especially in Nigeria where there is high rate of cybercrime and has been identified, high vulnerability of mobile malware.

JUMOKE AKIYODE