All Posts in "Day: September 10, 2022"

NCC-CSIRT Raises Alarm Over Google Chrome Extensions Malware

The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) has identified five malicious Google Chrome Extensions that surreptitiously track online browser’s activities and steal their data.

According to NCC-CSIRT, the five malicious extensions which the McAfee Mobile Research Team earlier discovered are Netflix Party with 800,000 downloads, Netflix Party 2 with 300,000 downloads, Full Page Screenshot Capture Screenshotting with 200,000 downloads, FlipShope Price Tracker Extension with 80,000 downloads, and AutoBuy Flash Sales with 20,000 downloads.

The NCC-CSIRT said the five google chrome extensions identified have a high probability and damage potential and have been downloaded more than 1.4 million times and serve as access to steal users’ data.

The telecom sector-focused cybersecurity protection team alerted telecom consumers to be cautious when installing any browser extension.

“The users of these chrome extensions are unaware of their invasive functionality and privacy risk. Malicious extensions monitor victims’ visits to e-commerce websites and modify the visitor’s cookie to appear as if they came through a referrer link. Consequently, the extensions’ developers get an affiliate fee for any purchases at electronic shops,” the advisory said.

In addition, the advisory stated that, although the google team removed several browser extensions from its Chrome Web Store, keeping malicious extensions out may be difficult. The NCC-CSIRT, thus, recommended that telecom consumers observe caution when installing any browser extension.

“These include removing all listed extensions from their chrome browser manually. Internet users are to pay close attention to the promptings from their browser extensions, such as the permission to run on any website visited and the data requested before installing it. Although, some extensions are seemingly legit, due to the high number of user downloads, these hazardous add-ons make it imperative for users to ascertain the authenticity of extensions they access.” the advisory stated.

Google Chrome extensions are software programmes that can be installed into Chrome in order to change the browser’s functionality.

This includes adding new features to Chrome or modifying the existing behavior of the program itself to make it more convenient for the user. They serve purposes such as block ads, integration with password managers and sourcing coupons as items sent to a shopping cart.

admin by — September 10, 2022 in Business 0
Foreign Airlines Cheating Nigerian Travelers -NANTA

The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) have accused foreign airlines of exploiting Nigerian travellers with high airfares.

The group also debunked the claim by Sen. Hadi Sirirka that the airlines now sell air tickets in dollars to their Nigerian passengers, insisting that the foreign carriers still sell in naira.

Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, the President of NANTA,who stated these in Lagos during interaction with aviation journalists,said that the delay in the repatriation of the funds by foreign carriers emboldened them to exploit the Nigerian air travellers.

She maintained that the delay by the Federal Government in granting to the airlines their funds was a violation of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements entered with them by the government, but insisted imposing high airfares on the Nigerian travellers by the airline was also unwarranted.

According to her,despite the announcement of the release of $265 million by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of the trapped funds, the airlines were yet to open their lower inventories, thereby leading to high fare rates by air travellers.

She alleged that these high fares were targeted at only Nigerian travellers, stressing that this could not be seen anywhere else on the continent, eve where the airlines are still unable to repatriate their funds.

She added: ”It is sad that Nigerians have to buy tickets to the tune of N4 million and be charged as high as N1 million to change travel dates even on tickets bought before this crisis began.This is unacceptable, exploitative and hostile to the survival of Nigerian aviation downstream sector and to which we call for sanity and return to the best inventory practices and deployment.”

She further commended the government for the release order of some of the funds, but decried that most of them were yet to be paid their funds by the CBN.

Akporiaye also implored the government a to open further windows of engagement by calling for a meeting with all parties involved, which should include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and NANTA.

Meanwhile,unions in the Nigerian aviation industry have alleged the import of strange clauses in the aviation agencies bills presently before President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

The unions vowed to embark on a peaceful protest on Monday, September 12, 2022 to ensure the removal of the clauses they claimed were not part of the original bills presented before the National Assembly in 2021.

The unions; National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots, Engineers (NAAPE) and the Amalgamated Unions of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE) alleged that some of the powers were usurped from the Minister of Labour and Productivity and taken over by the Minister of Aviation.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, Comrade Ochema Aba, the General Secretary of NUATE said that the new bills have put the aviation industry under essential services and are thereby prohibited from taking part in a strike or any other industrial action.

The unions insisted that the designation of services rendered by the aviation agencies as essential services in which industrial action should be prohibited was not a subject that came under discussion at any time during the current processes of the Bills of any of the agencies and wondered how it crept in the bills.

He added: ”During the public hearings in the Aviation Committee of the House of Representatives, issue of essential service was responded to by the National president of NAAPE who drew attention to a National Industrial Court ruling on the matter, to the effect that airlines do not render essential services. As far as we were concerned, the matter rested at that, as no member of the public in particular canvassed any such position.More disturbingly, the subject of essential services did not feature in any of the deliberations of either Committees of the National Assembly in the course of making any of the six bills in question, as National Assembly records show.’It is therefore, baffling, to say the list, how these clauses mentioned above found their way surreptitiously into the bills.”

admin by — September 10, 2022 in Aviation 0
Oil Marketers Threaten To Down Tool Over Harassment, Intimdation

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has threatened to withdraw its services totally from Eastern part of the country if the harassment and intimidation from the security agencies continue without check from the Federal government.

The threat was conveyed in a statement by the Eastern Zonal Chairman, Prince Bobby Eberechi Dick on Friday.They alleged that some miscreants, who are not members, even without having filling stations went ahead to secure the services of security agencies to harass and intimate its members.

According to the statement, “The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN) Eastern Zone wish to draw the attention of the federal government to the incessant harassment and intimidation of our members by security agencies.Few days ago some miscreants who are not members of our association, who do not have even one filling station went and secured the services of the Nigerian Police, the Army, the Civil Defence to block the gate of private depots where we load petroleum products in Rivers state, saying every IPMAN member must pay a levy of fifteen thousand naira (N15000) before our members can load.

“Also on the claim by one of them, Mr Aliche Oti that petroleum tanker drivers are holding IPMAN levy, to put the record straight petroleum tanker driver don’t collect IPMAN levy, IPMAN staffs are deploy to all the depots to do their legitimate work. It is the IPMAN that buys product and hire the services of tanker drivers. When the report got to the zonal executive council of Eastern zone, investigation was carried out to know where they are deriving their powers from and on what bases, we found out it was an act of intimidation to force our members to do the wish of their pay masters.

“IPMAN has legitimate constituted authority headed by our National President, Alhaji Ahmed Dhebo.Based on this act of harassment and intimidation, we have withdrew our services from all the private depots in Rivers State. We are calling on the Federal Government especially our dogged governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyesom Wike to intervene.

“We know the Governor cannot allow anyone to disrupt the good business environment he has created in River state. This will cause a serious scarcity in Rivers state and neighboring states.If this harassment, intimidation and blockage of the depots where we are doing our legitimate business by these hoodlums and hired security agent is not addressed, we will have no other choice than to shut down all stations within Eastern Zone.We are law abiding citizens, we are being guided by the constitution of IPMAN and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. With IPMAN the distribution of petroleum products within zone is assured”.

admin by — September 10, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0