Writer: CHESTER WISNIEWSKI, Director Global Field CTO, Sophos

With 2024 fast approaching, what are the results for 2023 and what are the developments in the threat landscape for this new year?

The year 2023 was marked by persistence in the tactics of cybercriminals, with the predominance of ransomware, the exploitation of vulnerabilities, theft of credentials and even attacks targeting the supply chain. The common point in all his attacks is their formidable effectiveness.

It is therefore essential to ask what trends will persist in 2024 and what strategies businesses should adopt to deal with these future cyber threats.

Between persistent trends and evolving cybercrime tactics

In 2024, the threat landscape is not expected to change radically, particularly with regard to attack typologies and criminal tactics and procedures.

Criminal groups still primarily focus their attention on financial gains and ransomware remains their weapon of choice. These cybercriminals tend to take the easy way out by opportunistically attacking unpatched security vulnerabilities.

The recent Citrix Bleed attack demonstrated the agility of cybercriminals when it comes to quickly and effectively exploiting these new vulnerabilities.
However, once patches are applied to these vulnerabilities, cyberattackers tend to revert to more common strategies of stealing credentials or, failing that, cookies or session cookies, which, while slightly slower, constitute always a proven means that allows them to penetrate within a system.

In 2024, however, we should expect increased sophistication in defense evasion tactics, particularly due to the generalization of certain technologies such as multi-factor authentication. These attacks will combine malicious proxy servers, social engineering techniques and repeated authentication request attacks or “fatigue attacks”.

AI and regulations will continue to shape cybersecurity

In 2024, the development of AI will have a positive impact on the efficiency of IT teams and security teams by enabling them to strengthen defenses and work more efficiently, including through the processing of vast volumes of data in the aim of detecting anomalies. It should make it possible to respond more quickly in the event of an incident.

Indeed, analysis of attacks in 2023 showed a shortening of the time between network penetration and the triggering of a final attack – using malware or ransomware. The need for rapid detection and response tools to prevent costly incidents is therefore essential.

Finally, regulatory developments could have a major influence on measures taken against ransomware. The need to take more substantial measures could push some states to penalize the payment of ransoms, which would represent a brake on malicious actors and change the perspective of companies in the event of an attack.

Other stricter legislation, such as the implementation of the European NIS2 Directive, is also expected to force companies to take additional measures, particularly regarding their abilities to collect data sets.

To protect themselves against increasingly rapid, effective and costly attacks, companies will need to strengthen their defenses by equipping themselves with tools that allow them to detect and respond to incidents more quickly.

The worsening cybersecurity talent shortage does not appear to be as serious as some studies claim. On the contrary, companies have implemented more lax hiring criteria and more open-mindedness in the recruitment process.

From this perspective, to guarantee their survival in a constantly evolving threat landscape, companies have every interest in establishing partnerships with cybersecurity experts whose main mission is to make the hyperconnected world safer, to advise and assist them. in setting up effective defenses.

One week later, the shock of the sudden departure of Dr Mike Okolo is wearing out. But not so the pain and bewilderment. And not the pathos. 

Dr Mike Okolo, Dean of the School of Media & Communication, Pan Atlantic University, passed to the beyond on 6 June 2020 suddenly and without any visible or known ailment.

It stunned his immediate and extended family, including the university he had served for so long.  

Okolo was a corporate communication consultant with vast experience in all aspects of corporate/public affairs. He had a track record in Internal Communication, Issues and Crisis Management, Event Management and Communication Audits.

He also taught Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. 

Okolo had a PhD in Sciences from the University of Benin (1982), an MSc in Strategic Communication at the University of Central Lancashire (2014), and a 2020 PhD in Communication from the University of Navarra, Spain. 

He was the pioneer Corporate Affairs Manager of the Lagos Business School and also served as Alumni Relations Director. He was a classroom maestro: fair, firm, and considerate. 

Visiting is painful because of seeing how this loss affected his partner, friend and wife, Mrs Rosemary Okolo, erstwhile Registrar of the Pan Atlantic University and faculty in the School of Management. They were the ideal couple, even sharing lunch time together.

Visit you must, though, bearing in mind the message of Solomon. 

Eccl. 7:2-4: “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance, the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Dr Mike Okolo was the Dean of the School of Media & Communication. It was a richly deserved appointment in 2020 after the NUC forced on him a circuitous journey to a second PhD that paid no heed to his contributions to setting up the school. He stepped down the first time following NUC refusal on the grounds of lacking a PhD in communication and then set out to get it. 

That journey epitomized Dr Okolo. He was focused, dedicated and committed. When and if he sets out on a course, he stays on it until accomplishment. 

He was dapper in the best traditions of the corporate world. 

The Fundamental Fs of Life mattered to the late academic. The Fundamental Fs are faith, family and friends. There are two other Fs of fame and fortune, but the Fundamental Fs speak to the essence of life. 

The Three Fs that mattered to Dr Okolo play out boldly in his passing. Even in their sorrow, the Okolo family not only affirm their faith but also evangelises. As you sign the condolence register, they offer you an Opus Dei prayer card. Okolo belonged to Opus Dei, a prelature of the Catholic Church that urges Christians to find God in their daily lives and sanctify their work. “Wherever your yearnings, your work, your affections are, that is the place for your daily encounter with Christ. It is there in the midst of the most material things of the earth, that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all people”, in the words of Saint Josemaria Escriva, founder. 

I had the privilege of teaching two Okolo children as undergraduates. They reflected good breeding or what I now term WBU children. Well Brought Ups (WBU) are a walking statement of the values of their families. These children were ideal students: they were studious, dedicated and focused. They comported themselves so decorously no one could tell that their parents were part of senior management, unlike many children in such positions. No surprise that they graduated with the highest honours. 

Dr Okolo had a stern appearance until he offers his beatific smile. His smile is warm, friendly and reassuring. Oh, I should say was. It is still difficult to speak of him in the past tense. 

Okolo led a team of postgraduate students to Birmingham City University as part of course requirements. Years of teaching professionals guided his conduct. He provided guidelines and then allowed everyone to express themselves. 

Okolo was scrupulous and meticulous in every endeavour. He cared about nutrition and fitness. On that trip, he enjoyed the long walks on the campus of the University of Oxford. Walking was a regular pastime. It was thus strange to hear of a sudden cough and heart attack as the immediate cause of his death. This life is soChukwuma. 

Take heart, dear Okolo family that Dr Mike left behind. You have a solid foundation of nurture and extensive goodwill that business managers now recognise as a tangible asset with strong valuation. Take heart, SMC family, academic and professional colleagues. The memory of Dr Mike Okolo will remain positive and pleasant. 

The mortal remains of Dr Mike Okolo will be committed to mother earth on 24 June 2022 after masses in Lagos and Asaba.

[NB: This article was first published on Mr. Nwakanma’s FB page]

The incidences of building collapse in Nigeria have become a great concern to authorities and stakeholders in the building industry. Many lives and properties have been lost in the collapse of buildings – mostly residential buildings. Many lives, including those of property owners, have been sent to their early graves because of a few actions and inactions of some individuals.

Despite the advancement in technology, cases of building collapse do occur in advanced countries and developing countries alike. But its occurrence is more in developing countries. Records show that building collapse in developed countries is less attributed to man-made causes.

They are mostly due to natural disasters like earth tremors, flooding, wildfire, earthquakes and so on. In developing countries like Nigeria, man-made causes are usually the leading factors.

There is the challenge to provide adequate shelter for numerous rural-urban migrants and this makes the cases of building collapse more in developing cities as a result of the influx of people trooping into these cities.

Usually, a combination of factors comes into play when unravelling the cause of building collapse. But from many incidences, structural failure has become a major factor accounting for building collapses in Nigeria.

By structural failure, it means the loss of the load-carrying capacity of a component or member within the building. Structural failure does occur when a design does not capture the actual loading conditions on a building. Such a design becomes defective and can lead to the collapse of the building.

Using inferior construction materials can also cause structural failure which in turn can make a building collapse. Since loads on a building are meant to be calculated bearing in mind materials of specific characteristics, the use of the wrong or substandard materials becomes a huge compromise.

For instance, when a 16mm steel rod is used in place of a 20mm rod, or when bamboo is used as an alternative for steel reinforcement especially for permanent structures, it becomes a matter of time for the cookie to crumble. Even if the design is satisfactory, a building may still fail when the materials used are not the appropriate ones or when unskilled labour is employed for construction works.

Overzealous clients and their over interference on building contracts can lead to building collapse.

These clients change contract documents and the scope of work of building projects at will. They usurp the role of the contractor and the contractor is left with no choice but to follow the client’s instruction hook, line and sinker just to keep his job to the detriment of safety.

Corruption, bribery and greed have also been a recurring decimal whenever the root causes of building collapse in Nigeria are investigated. Some building contractors, government officials and professionals in the building industry have been indicted in this regard. On most tragic occasions, they don’t come out smelling of roses. The contractor wants to minimize cost to the barest minimum, and so he buys substandard materials to divert some monies to his pocket. Sometimes, this is done in connivance with the shady structural Engineers and Architects.

It is even saddening to see this happen when contractors are not owed any contract fee. Also, unscrupulous government officials sent to building sites to inspect materials will collect bribes from developers and end up compromising inspection results. The situation is indeed a grave one.

An Igbo adage is translated to mean, ‘when someone else’s corpse is being carried, it looks like a firewood.’ If you haven’t lost a close relative or friend through a building collapse, then, that adage may not make any meaning to you. Oftentimes, when the mainstream media report these incidences, they show no respect for the dead. They do not tell the true story. Sometimes, casualties are under-reported to save some heads from rolling.

On Monday, 1st November 2021, the month was heralded with the heart-wrenching news of the collapse of a 21-storey building located on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos trapping scores of people while others were injured.

Many were feared dead. The Ikoyi building collapse has been trending for over a week now and it has been plagued with a lot of controversies. One week after the collapse, there have been no fewer than 44 casualties from the debris and 15 survivors though there is still no official figure of how many people were in the building when it caved in.

This is a building that was meant to be an apartment with two other towers not as high as the 21-storey.

The structure was said to be 80 per cent completed. It comprised four-bedroom maisonettes flats, duplex and penthouses, and was 65 per cent sold out according to Highbrow living Magazine.

‘The 20-floor strictly residential facility is the brain works of Fourscore Homes, evolving from a desire to build an original masterpiece. The concept is to have service flats in the three towers for residents to experience a stress-free lifestyle, complete with a hotel flair with a 360-degree view of Lagos state,’ the magazine reads.

The proprietor of the collapsed multi-storey building and the Managing Director of Fourscore Heights Limited, Femi Osibona, whom himself died in the tragedy had exhibited expertise in property development in the United Kingdom, United States and South Africa.

Also, Nation newspapers reported that his real estate development firm is a member of the National Home Builders Regulation Council (NHBRC) in South Africa and Zurich Building Guarantee in Europe. Yet, there have been allegations that he used sub-standard materials and cheap labour to execute the gigantic project.

There’s been a lot of controversies all week regarding the ownership of the tragic property. SaharaReporters’ publication of November 4, 2021 reads, ‘Different sources on Tuesday told SaharaReporters that the landed property was bought by Osinbajo from Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, founder of Elizade Motors (Elizade Nigeria Limited) shortly after he became the Vice President.  However, in a swift reaction, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo had vehemently denied any insinuations linking him to the ownership of the collapsed multi-storey building. Premiumtimes reported that he had also threatened legal actions against sources that made the allegation.

In an opinion article on Thisdaylive titled, ‘The unsolvable Jigsaw of the Ikoyi Tragedy,’ Dele Momodu, a journalist and writer says the late Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes and developer of the 21-storey building that collapsed was a cousin of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. One then begins to wonder if anyone can conveniently connect the dots because nobody seems to own anything in Ikoyi when accountability is needed. Does the N13billion found in an Ikoyi flat ring a bell? Ownership of properties in Ikoyi does appear to be shrouded in secrecy.

Meanwhile, a staff member of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in the same November 4, 2021 publication told SaharaReporters thus, ‘I know the building is owned by a top government official, the man in question, Osibona was only fronting for the government official. We received an order from above to stop going to the site during monitoring.

I heard the Vice President intervened when the project was sealed off early in the year but I can’t say maybe he is the owner. Don’t forget they are both from Ikenne in Ogun State.’ The report further disclosed that Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the agency was suspended.

Also, there have been controversies as regards how the building became 21-storeys. Conflicting stories have been heard between the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat and of course the suspended LASBCA boss, Gbolahan Oki. SaharaReporters again gathered that while Obafemi Hamzat claimed the owner of the collapsed building got approval for 21 floors, Gbolahan Oki maintained that the building got approval for a 15-storey and that the limit was exceeded. Mr Oki further alleged that the materials used were so inferior and terrible. However, the Deputy Governor would later disclose that the ill-fated building was sealed around June because of some abnormalities. ‘They were taking corrective actions when this (collapse) happened’ he said.

In a related development, Vanguard revealed that Femi Osibona, the deceased developer of the Ikoyi building which collapsed, ignored directives by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LAPPA, to insure the structure. He failed to insure the liabilities associated with the construction of the building. Findings show that ‘a developer of any building above two floors shall insure his/her liability in respect of construction risks and submit a Certified True Copy, CTC, of such insurance policy certification with his/her development permit to LASBCA.’ Would this be a lesson for developers to take insurance frameworks seriously?

Well, amidst the tragedy and confusion, one good thing is that an investigative panel has been inaugurated by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. While some Nigerians have lamented the barring of journalists from the panel, others have alleged that the panel is sworn under an oath of secrecy.

So, they fear that the panel’s findings may never be made public. Some however commended the governor for the executive bill he signed to give legal backing to the panel during their period of sitting.

While it may not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the inquest and the investigations of the panel, Nigerians expect the panel to leave no stone unturned. They expect a post-mortem to be carried on the bodies before they are released to their families.

It is expected also that survivors of the building mishap should be made to stop talking to the media. They can potentially become witnesses and so, their identities and locations should be protected because it is gathered that Witness protection does not exist in Nigeria.

Nigerians want the six-member panel to be pretty professional and factual in their findings. This is the only way the circumstances surrounding the collapsed Ikoyi building can be demystified to bring all culprits to justice. This will prevent a recurrence of such tragedy.

Then, if the Lagos State government is truly sincere, those who own interests in the Ikoyi collapsed building must be known and investigated. No sacred cows. There should be accountability for the dead and families who lost their loved ones must be compensated. May the souls of those who died in the Ikoyi building tragedy rest in peace, amen. May God grant grieving families the strength to bear the loss and may He also grant speedy recovery to the injured.

About The Writer

Chukwuemeka Oluka writes in from Enugu, Nigeria. He is a passionate writer and a research enthusiast. He is also a graduate of Electronic and Computer Engineering from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. He tweets @mekus_oluka and can be reached via “[email protected]”