Cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts have urged the youth population in Nigeria to develop and harness cybersecurity talents; as such development is believed to soon turn into a revenue spinner for the country, especially at a time when securing the cyberspace has become critical in today’s digital era.
Technology industry analysts and stakeholders who made the call at this year’s NaijaSecCon 2019 Cybersecurity Conference in Lagos on Friday, noted that with the increase in the prevalence of cybercrime attacks on business organisations, government infrastructures and individuals, the demands for cybersecurity skills are now on the rise.
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Rotimi Akinyemi, a lead convener of NaijaSecCon 2019Cybersecurity Conference, who spoke to journalists on the sideline of the Conference, said that the rise in cyber-crime and reliance on the digital world would see a huge demand for a cybersecurity workforce, which is expected to rise over the next few years.
Therefore, it has become important to organise the Naija Cyber Security Conference, which brings skilled cybersecurity experts within the Nigerian cybersecurity domain, in a bid to raise awareness, network and ultimately present lasting solutions to cyber attacks, data breaches and financial losses to business organisations and government.
“For us, the most important thing is how the government can develop and harness cybersecurity talents. That’s our priority. We have a lot of talented people in Nigeria, but these talents are not really being harnessed to contribute to the national economy,” Akinyele said.
Asked to be specific on what industry enthusiasts like him are doing to develop and harness such talents, Akinyele disclosed that Naija Sec Con has an objective to establish a hub where students from across Nigeria can come for internships and get nurtured by experts, who will place them on the right track.
According to him; With the hub, the skills acquired will be utilised properly and not for fraudulent activities.
Speaking on social engineering and its importance, Favour Femi-Oyewole, chief information security officer (CISO), Access Bank, described social engineering as the fastest growing area in cybercrime.
According to her, social engineering, which targets people with the right information and manipulates them when done right, has staggering returns on investment. She explained that social engineering is carried out by breaking the normal security process by using the trust relationship between people, adding that it often consists of many steps and it is not a one-way process.
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The 2019 edition of the NaijaSecCon was programmed into four sessions. They are; Lockpick Village, where enthusiasts and tinkers alike are served to the chills of how lockpicking works and Cyber Security Career Village, where cyber enthusiasts, IT Security pros, and those who would love to create a career within the space gather.
Others are Technical Conference with more than 10 industry experts unravelling and advising on applicable threats within the space and Live Hacking Contest for students of tertiary institutions playing around on capturing hidden flags all through the event.
The team from the Federal University of Technology, Akure won the first prize in the #NaijaSecCon19CTF challenge.
Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson
