One of the major concerns of the 5G evolution which is about to erupt in Nigeria is the issue of security of data. With the tons of data that are going to be generated as the Internet of Things, IoT –driven 5G makes debut, people are afraid of having their lives turn face-up in the public.
However, a Cybersecurity software company ESET Nigeria says no need to worry. The company is assuring individuals, businesses and the government that it would be ready to offer solutions to protect Internet of Things (IoT) devices from cyber threats.
Managing Director of ESET West Africa (Anglophone), Mr Olufemi Ake, at a recent Nigeria Computer Society, NCS, International Conference held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said that ESET thrives on securing IoT devices and has earned international accolades for the effectiveness of its solutions.
Theme of the NCS conference: ‘Smart, Secure and Sustainable Nation’, he said that it simply implies that for a modern nation to be sustainable the people have to be intentional about adopting smart and secure systems in every sphere. This cuts across public and private sectors.
“In other words, we have to make the Internet secure as the bedrock of a smart city. Smart cities and smart homes imply there will be connected devices such as vehicles communicating with each other and humans via the Internet; mobile devices, laptops, and Internet of Things (IoT) communicating without any downtime.
“Once the Internet is made available, you are guaranteed a sustainable smart city. ESET thrives excellently in securing IoT devices. This is the future! In the smart city era, one’s car navigation could be hacked and misdirected to a strange location where negative actions are perpetrated. These are the situations ESET will take care of by strengthening security and protecting devices, which further guarantees a safer smart city.
Ake said the smartest thing to do when 5G becomes full stream is to be intentional with the approach to solutions deployment. “We are so quick to adopt the latest technology which is not a bad idea. However, we seem to be slow in adopting security solutions for these devices. So, if we as a nation are going to adopt 5G which enhances IoT connectivity, then we should be mindful of the security aspects. We should preach security as the bedrock of the acceptability of these devices. We have to continue to educate our people. Just as we are complaining about the physical security situation in the country, the same thing applies to cyberspace. Cyberspace must be secure for the country to reap the benefits of 5G.
“5G is just being deployed in Nigeria, but it is already in place in over 1,500 cities across the world. So, it is not new to us as a business and we are futuristic. We think about these things before they are launched.
For instance, TVR is categorized under IoT. It is very smart and gives the external world access to your home. So, if it is hacked, you have probably given outsiders access to your living room through smart cameras. When that happens, cyber criminals keep monitoring your activities and can socially engineer attacks against you.
“Therefore, we developed solutions that secure your TVs and IoT devices from intruders”, Ake added.
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