Why telcos must strengthen cyber-risk protection systems, architecture – Danbatta
Ladesope Ladelokun
The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has charged telecommunications service providers to, as a matter of urgency, strengthen their cyber-risk protection systems and architecture.
Danbatta made this call at the 87th edition of the Nigerian Communications Commissions’ quarterly Telecom Consumer Parliament(TCP) at Ikeja, Lagos State; tagged “Challenges of Cybercrime: The role of the Telecoms Service Providers.”
He said that the call became necessary in view of the increasing access and demand for broadband, noting that Nigeria must be cognizant of the reality that accessing broadband internet has also brought unlimited consequences of cybercrime.
He said it was time organisations and telecoms service providers began to use next-generation authentication as against the hitherto username-password authentication as, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, the latter is vulnerable to hacking and all forms of cyber attacks.
The NCC EVC expressed worry that the cyberspace has become a blossoming haven for cyber criminals to perpetrate their insidious acts which have continued to cost unsuspecting internet users and many organisations billions of naira in loss of revenue and money,
adding that the main target of cyber-criminals is to steal information, passwords, or the identity of genuine internet users for selfish profiteering.
Meanwhile, as part of measures to ensure safer internet use for all telecom consumers, Danbatta hints that the commission has set in motion the process of establishing an internet code of practice in accordance with its mandate to regulate the communications sector in Nigeria.
“The code is to clearly define the rights and obligations of Internet Access Service Providers with regard to the issues therein and to also protect the right of internet users to an Open Internet.
It provides clear guidelines to Internet Access Service Providers on the use of traffic management practices.
It also outlines the obligations of Internet Access Providers in relation to the protection of consumers’ personal data and security, among others”, he said.
