NCC seeks concerted efforts against cybercrime

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has charged telecoms operators to strengthen their protection architecture in the fight against cyber crime nationwide.

Its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who spoke yesterday at the 87th Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) in Lagos, observed that the call has become imperative in the face of recent surge in Internet penetration and broadband-driven innovations globally.

He stated that investment in security would sustain the increasingly connected world and contain the unsavoury development, especially as it affects finances and reputation of consumers.

To him, it is high time organisations and telecommunications service providers started embracing next-generation authentication system following the vulnerability of the old-fashioned username-password regime.

The theme of the event was “Challenges of cybercrime: The role of telecoms service providers.” It was to address the critical industry challenges that affect consumers and other stakeholders in the value-chain.

The NCC chief executive reiterated the commission’s commitment to reducing the risks associated with Internet deployment.

Already, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in its 2018 Information Society Report said 51.2 per cent of the global population or 3.9 billion people were using the information platform.