By Henry Oduah

Cyberwise Awareness and Enlightenment Foundation, an institution committed to raising awareness about cybersecurity and cyberbullying, on Wednesday, February 26, held a workshop at Yeshua High School in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos.

Students of the school were enlightened on how to spot and deal with cyber threats.

Founder of Cyberwise, Olukunmi Abbas Owoade, stressed at the workshop moderated by Olabisi Lawanson that the rising cases of cyber threats, cyberbullying and cybercrime make it essential for everyone, including young people, to be knowledgeable about protecting themselves.

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Speaking on the topic “Cyber-heroes: Protecting Yourself and Others Online,” cybersecurity expert Kolapo Famojuro identified common online threats as identity theft, malware and ransomware among others.

He also spoke about phishing attacks, describing them as the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a legitimate and reputable source usually through email and text messaging. The goal is to steal money, gain access to sensitive data or install malware.

According to him, some types of phishing include smishing (SMS-based), vishing (video-based), spear (targeted at a specific person, not group of people) and whaling (such as Business Email Compromise).

Mr Famojuro, a Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) team lead with proficiency in Security Operations Center (SOC), advised the students on certain precautions to take when dealing with phishing attacks. He urged his listeners not to share personal information online such as NIN, BVN and bank card details and always verify before downloading items or clicking on unsolicited links especially the ones that offer free gifts like data bundle.

The IT guru urged them to be wary of people they meet online especially on dating and gaming sites, adding that if something appears too good online, they should ask for help.

Famojuro also acknowledged that while it is fun to post on social media, users must be careful of what they share about themselves especially location and luxury items and must also leave digital footprints and trails that are acceptable in society.

Also, Ayomide Olasupo spoke to the students about cyberbullying, urging them to avoid stalking people online.

Ms Olasupo said cyberbullying can come in the form of flaming tactics where a bully uses profanity and vulgarity to provoke a minor online. She noted that trolls like anger and want other people to be miserable like them.

She urged young people not to engage with trolls but to block and report them, save evidence, tell a trusted adult, build a support network and use helplines.

Olasupo also got the students to pledge to be kind and respectful online, to be upstanders rather than bystanders and to keep the internet a happy and safe place for everyone.

She concluded with the term “THINK”, advising that before sharing any material online, one must ask pertinent questions: Is it TRUE? Is it HELPFUL? Is it INSPIRING? Is it NECESSARY? Is it KIND?

A panel of discussants comprising members of Cyberwise and representatives of the school also dissected the concept of cybersecurity.

Among the discussants were Mr Famojuro, Ms Olasupo, Olawale Oye, a teacher; and one of the school’s administrators, Irene Adesanya. The session was moderated by Mr Owoade.

Mrs Adesanya said parental guidance is key in cyber usage for young people.

On ways to prevent one’s account or device from being hacked, Mr Oye encouraged the use of strong passwords and activation of two-step verification.

Famojuro listed several things one must do when one’s device is compromised. He said, “Escalate to service provider. Reach out to your banks. Disable or lock social media accounts. Do a disclaimer on social media. Have Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your device. Enable MFA on WhatsApp.”