West Africa’s cybercrime hotbed
also ft; Proliferation of AI and Deep Fakes
CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.
Hello there,
You might agree with me that this month has felt like a drag. But if not, it's all about perspective. However, that doesn't change the fact that artificial intelligence continues to be a topic of debate. To finish my school research work, I decided to use my WhatsApp Meta AI. I was somewhat pleased with the results, although not entirely satisfied. I think that reflects the general reaction to the impact of AI on the world - a mix of satisfaction and uneasiness. AI has become a paradox.
Today's topic took a nosedive into the history of an organised crime group in Nigeria and discussed how a website buys and sells images of people to hackers. What's even more intriguing is that both platforms use AI to target victims!
- Adebola
HIGHLIGHTS
Proliferation of AI and Deep Fakes
In an investigation by 404 Media, Fotodropy Store, an underground site was discovered to make money off selling manipulated images of people. These images are in turn sold to hackers and buyers who have no good intentions to evade identity verification. Interestingly, the platform has readily available ‘poses’ or information that could be needed for authentications allowing them to bypass the know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. This also reveals the other end of Fotodrop’s clients selling their information most likely willfully.
Originally intended for dubbing movies, technologies surrounding voice and face modelling have been corrupted, heightening the risk of digital privacy and are now used for cyber crimes. Called deepfakes, the intentional sophistication hackers implement to carry out these targeted crimes is alarming, undermining the potential for positive use cases. Governments across the globe have identified this as a threat to human rights and are creating laws to optimise its usage.
KYC compliance safeguards the data of consumers and prevents susceptibility to threats, yet, statistics of identity theft are on the rise. This report states that AI is a double-edged sword offering solutions to challenges as well as harming and arming the cybersecurity space.
West Africa’s cybercrime hotbed
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in an operation seized assets valued at 3 million USD, arrested about 300 people, identified over 400 additional suspects and blocked more than 720 bank accounts.
"The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing. This operation’s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks,” Isaac Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) said.
In the recent arrest, Black Axe, a West African organised crime syndicate was identified to be involved in cyber fraud. This was also the case in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Among other crime networks, Black Axe is recognised as one of the “prominent” and is linked with various scamming methods including using human trafficking victims to carry out ‘pig butchering’ scams.
A 2021 BBC deep dive found that the group used "catcher" names i.e. fake identities such as forged or stolen passports.to scam people serving as a means of revenue. The group has also evolved to integrate AI systems for more advanced scams.
“Changes in technology and the rapid increase in the scale and volume of organised crime has driven the creation of a range of new ways to defraud innocent people, businesses and even governments. With the development of AI and Cryptocurrencies, the situation is only going to get worse without urgent action, Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL’s secretary general, cited in INTERPOL’s Global Financial Fraud Assessment Report.
Rooted in the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1977 as a confraternity, Black Axe was a Pan-African movement that aimed at "smashing the shackles of colonialism.” With millions of members accumulated over the years, the confraternity branched out of the university in 1994 and registered under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) as the Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM). However, NBM has claimed to uphold its Pan-Africanist reputation alienating itself from the Black Axe confraternity.
FEATURES
In the recent ESET Cyber Threat Trends Report, malware targeting Android financial and video gaming apps is disguised as generative AI tools to collect data from people.
This survey conducted in eight Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries reveals how LGBTQ+ people face digital oppression and physical abuse from the Police.
In the latest Q2 2024 cyber attack trends research published by cloud security platform, CheckPoint, against Healthcare and Government institutions (as covered in our past editions), the Education/Research industry has the highest globally recorded cyber attacks. Meanwhile, Africa saw a 37 per cent increase in year-on-year (Y-o-Y) attacks resulting in at least 2,960 counts.
Source: CheckPoint
HEADLINES
Ghana licences 51 cybersecurity industry players - Techpoint Africa
Interpol operation nabs 300 with links to West African cyber fraud - The Record
South Africans fight cybercrime with data - My Broadband
New smart ID cards and passports for South Africa - My Broadband
R300-million cyber heist at public works unearthed - TechCentral
Kenya Urban Roads Authority data breach - Breachsense
ACROSS THE WORLD
OPPORTUNITIES
Cisco in partnership with Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar is organising NetAcad Summer Camp 2024
Cybersecurity Hackathon in Burkina Faso | IST Ouaga 2000 I & II | Deadline: July 25, 2024
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