Eyal Titinger is a Partner at CyberDome, an Abuja based cybersecurity company. In this interview with ITPulse’s Martin Ekpeke, Titinger noted that while collaboration is key, the safety of Nigeria’s cyberspace also depend largely on disclosure of cyber attacks and data breaches. He also disclosed that Cyber Security Research shows that Nigeria has one of the highest levels of cybercrime in Africa and in the world.
How will you describe Cyberdome as a company?
CyberDome is a Cyber Security and research firm located in Abuja with branches in Israel and the USA. We provide bespoke cyber services such as analysis, critical infrastructure and defense mechanisms, every cyber solution is tailored to the organization’s specific threat landscape, as well as their industry and market to enable them to anticipate breaches before they occur. The platform that we set up for each client provides them with the ability to respond quickly, decisively and effectively to confirm cyber-attacks and data breaches. CyberDome maintains an up to date threat intelligence database from all over the world and real-time discovery of cyber-attacks. We are constantly adding new technology and AI innovations to our portfolio to keep ahead of the curve. CyberDome’s Academy-Courses are certified; We provide Capacity Building and all trainings are customized based on the organization’s needs.
What is the acceptance rate of Cyberdome products and services in Nigeria?
The CyberDome next-generation Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) is currently the only facility in the country that is offering twofold; 24/7/356 security monitoring and advanced data breach prevention services and full-service solutions portfolio to meet all security risks. And also the complete installation of Cyber Security Operations Centres (SOC) at the client’s site or to enable CyberDome to provide on-site services on the client’s behalf.
How is your impression of the Nigerian Cyberspace, is it safe?
There are many challenges in Nigeria for Cyber Security Research shows that Nigeria has one of the highest levels of cybercrime in Africa and in the world. There is a lot of work to do. Currently, we are forming an opinion about how important it is for organizations to disclose cyber attacks and data breaches as per the CyberCrime Act Section 21. It is never good to have secrets, they are hard to keep.
All over the world, collaboration is key to fighting cybercrime. What kind of collaboration do you expect from the government and the private sector?
Collaboration is key in cybersecurity. Our up to date threat intelligence database from all over the world is a testament to that. We are fortunate to be working with all stakeholders in order to make Nigeria safer. In terms of the broader picture of Nigeria as a nation, every person has a right to know that he has been breached, and there should be laws in place to support that. I also think that organizations that adopt a policy of disclosure – would build tremendous trust with their customers.
A recent cybersecurity report disclosed that 81 percent of cybersecurity incidences in Nigeria are unresolved. Do you agree with this report? What could be responsible for this?
I think that sadly it is. There are several components to Cyber Security. The first is to detect incidences the second is to resolve them. We prefer to be more proactive and not wait for the incidences to occur, but to ensure that we have covered all the bases. I know that when we go into organizations for the initial survey, it is possible to find many unresolved issues, things that cannot be seen by an untrained eye. Having a robust cyber policy and laws in place will certainly help bring this statistic down. We are not victims, we are protagonists.
Many people will argue that cyber security is more about creating awareness among the citizens. As a cybersecurity company operating in Nigeria, what level of awareness you have created or creating?
At CyberDome, we do believe that creating awareness is only one factor in the larger cyber security picture. Our Cyber Academy offers awareness training, so that all employees at an organization can come on board with the cyber policy. But this has to be part of a broad cyber policy for every organization must have a system in place to detect, analyse and remediate cyber issues to keep raising the bar. This is our mission for every organization in Nigeria.
