A Professor of Computer Science and Information Security, Adesina Sodiya has disclosed that for proactive cybersecurity management, corporate organisations and the government should implement trusted and efficient intrusion prevention and detection systems, saying they should make sure that all connections to the their networks are known, documented and monitored. Prof. Sodiya made the disclosure while delivering the 80th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, titled ‘The Muddy Waters in Winning the Revolutionised Cybersecurity Game’, held at the Oluwafemi Balogun Ceremonial Building of the University.
According to him, every organisation must develop policies and plans for cybersecurity management and they should conduct regular risk and vulnerability assessments on their information technology platforms. He, however, added that the intelligence of hackers must be harnessed by the government for the development of the nation. He advised Nigerians to be cautious of public wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) facility and avoid accessing their social media accounts through public Wi-Fi networks, saying they should rather consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt their connections and protect their data.
The don, who is of the Department of Computer Science, College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS), noted that people need to get basic education about cybersecurity and privacy as well as familiarise themselves with cybersecurity and data privacy fundamentals. In addition, they should report suspicious or abusive behaviour on social media to the platform’s support team, stressing that this would help in maintaining a safer online environment for all. He, however, reiterated that the University should support the creation of a College of Computing to develop adequate manpower and expertise needed in the field of cybersecurity.