Tech

Cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky rates Africa among top 3 regions prone to financial scams

Published

11 months ago

June 12, 2023

Global cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky has ranked Africa as the third region prone to mobile financial scams in the world.

In a report released on Monday, Kaspersky said throughout 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, “14% of potentially unwanted mobile financial apps on Android phones were made by users in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region.”

The report also ranks META third among the world regions behind APAC and LATAM in terms of the number of installations of such apps.

“As Android holds a dominant market share of 78% in the Middle East, 80% in Africa and 70% in Turkiye, cyberthreats for this mobile operating system remain persistent,” the report put together by Igor Golovin, a senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky, said.

“Kaspersky experts continuously monitor the mobile threat landscape and track threat trends to provide the most up-to-date intelligence about the potential dangers.”

It added that certain mobile financial apps offered seemingly legitimate microlending services, but were found to engage in scam and collect personal data from users’ smartphones.

“These apps request access to text messages, contacts and photos/videos before a loan can be provided. In case the user delays the debt payment, app operators may use the data collected from the smartphone for blackmailing and forcing the user to return the debt,” the report said.

“For instance, information can be dispatched to all of the user’s contacts informing them of the user’s debt accompanied by photos from the gallery.

“The threat landscape evolves, and mobile financial cyberthreats become more sophisticated and pervasive. While downloading smartphone apps from official app stores is less risky than obtaining them from elsewhere, apps can still request the user to give access to different types of personal data that could then be misused.

“As smartphones are used to store an increasing amount of personal data, granting access to it raises security concerns and places additional demand on the security of mobile devices and privacy-preserving ways of storing the data,” said Golovin.

The report also gave tips on how Africans could protect themselves from financial scams.

“To protect yourself from mobile threats, Kaspersky has urged users to download their apps only from official stores like Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore.

“Users should also check the permissions of apps that you use and think carefully before permitting an app, especially when it comes to high-risk permissions such as Accessibility Services,” it added.

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Tech

RepAir, Cella partner to launch carbon capture in Kenya

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global Direct Air Capture (DAC) firm, RepAir, has entered into a partnership with carbon storage technology company, Cella, to launch a first-of-its-kind innovative Carbon Capture and Storage venture in Kenya.

In a statement on its website on Friday, RepAir said the venture will see a replication of its “cultivating partnerships” with storage firms in Europe, U.S. and Africa.

“This storage agreement will streamline the sale of high-quality carbon credits to off-takers, enabling corporations to meet evolving ESG standards, manage offsets and advance towards net zero goals,” the statement issued by RePAir CEO, Amir Amir Shiner, stated.

“Our solution sets a new standard, requiring only 600 kWh per ton of CO2 captured, marking the lowest energy consumption on the market.

“This agreement is perfectly aligned with the launch of our commercial demonstrator in 2025, empowering RepAir to offer high-quality carbon credits to our customers.

“It will see to the establishment of a storage partnership with Cella aimed at creating dedicated value chains for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground through in-situ mineralization.

Corey Pattison, CEO, Cella, who also issued a statement on the partnership, said “by partnering with Cella at our first demonstration site, RepAir can capitalize on two critical resources: the potential for truly permanent, highly verifiable carbon storage via mineralization combined with Kenya’s abundant renewable energy sources.

“Together these resources provide a comprehensive solution for capturing and storing CO2 for off-takers. This collaboration represents an extraordinary opportunity to nurture mutual growth.”

Tech

Intel Liftoff Hackathon 2024 calls for applications from African AI startups

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Applications for the 2024 cohort of Intel Liftoff Hackathon has opened for African AI startups designed to bring together aspiring tech entrepreneurs, software developers, and AI enthusiasts to collaborate, innovate, and create solutions to concrete African challenges.

In its second edition, the hackathon welcomes pioneering early-stage AI startup teams from the African continent, delving into experiments with LLM technology, a statement on the website of the organiser stated.

It added that the Intel Liftoff Hackathon for African AI Startups, which will be held online on May 27-31, is themed “Hack and Connect”, and will take place in partnership with Modus Africa, University Mohamed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

Other partners include TUT Hub of Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, Prosper Africa, UM6P Ventures, FAST Accelerator, Innov8 Technology Hubs, and Open Startups International.

“The hackathon will feature hands-on workshops that will allow learning of AI essentials; three days of challenges with mentors to test skills; exhibition opportunities to showcase startups and forge partnerships with industry leaders; and networking opportunities to engage with fellow startups and gain insights from domain experts in the AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

“Winners will be invited to join the Intel Liftoff for Startups programme, and receive unique mentoring sessions with ecosystem partners and marketing opportunities with blog articles,” it concluded.