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Beware: NCC alerts Nigerians of malware stealing banking app details

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NCC ALERT

 

The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team has warned Nigerians about a newly discovered malicious software stealing users’ banking app login credentials on Android devices.

According to the commission, the malicious software called ‘Xenomorph’, has been found to target 56 financial institutions from Europe, and has a high impact and high vulnerability rate.

It added that the main intent of this malware was to steal credentials, combined with the use of SMS and notification interception to log-in and potential two-factor authentication tokens.

In a statement, NCC said, “Xenomorph is propagated by an application that was slipped into Google Play store and masquerading as a legitimate application called ‘Fast Cleaner’ ostensibly meant to clear junk, increase device speed and optimise battery.

“In reality, this app is only a means by which the Xenomorph Trojan could be propagated easily and efficiently. To avoid early detection or being denied access to the PlayStore, ‘Fast Cleaner’ was disseminated before the malware was placed on the remote server, making it hard for Google to determine that such an app is being used for malicious actions.

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“Once up and running on a victim’s device, Xenomorph can harvest device information and Short Messaging Service, intercept notifications and new SMS messages, perform overlay attacks, and prevent users from uninstalling it. The threat also asks for Accessibility Services privileges, which allow it to grant itself further permissions.”

According to the commission’s CSIRT, the malware stole victims’ banking credentials by overlaying fake login pages on top of legitimate ones and since it could intercept messages and notifications, it allowed its operators to bypass SMS-based two-factor authentication and log into the victims’ accounts without alerting them.

The CSIRT security advisory said Xenomorph has been found to target 56 internet banking apps: 28 from Spain, 12 from Italy, 9 from Belgium, and 7 from Portugal; as well as Cryptocurrency wallets and general-purpose applications like emailing services.

Although the Fast Cleaner app has been removed from the Play Store, it garnered 50,000+ downloads, according to the NCC.

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UPDATED: Ikeja DisCo reduces Band A electricity tariff to N206.80/kwh

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The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company says it has reduced the tariff for customers under Band A classification to N206.80 per kilowatt-hour (kwh).

 

On April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A category to N225 per kwh — from N66. 

 

The commission said customers under the classification are those who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily. 

 

Announcing the slash in a circular on Monday, Ikeja Electric said the new tariff regime will take effect from May 6, 2024.

 

“Please be informed of the downward tariff review of our Band A feeders from N225/kwh to N206.80/kwh effective 6th May 2024 with guaranteed availability of 20-24hrs supply daily,” the circular reads.

 

However, the DisCo said the tariff for bands B,C,D and E are unchanged.

 

On April 4, NERC said the approved tariff increase is expected to reduce subsidy for the 2024 fiscal year by about N1.14 trillion.

“With the newly approved tariffs, subsidies for the 2024 fiscal year are expected to reduce by about NGN1.14 trillion in furtherance of the federal government’s realignment of the subsidy regime,” NERC said.

READ  NCC warns Nigerians about new virus that steals banking details

 

Musliu Oseni, vice-chairman of the commission, said the new tariff will bolster the nation’s economy.

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JUST IN: Ikeja DisCo reduces Band A electricity tariff to N206.80/kwh

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The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company says it has reduced the tariff for customers under Band A classification to N206.80 per kilowatt-hour (kwh).

 

On April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A category to N225 per kwh — from N66. 

 

The commission said customers under the classification are those who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily. 

 

Announcing the cut in a circular on Monday, Ikeja Electric said the new tariff rate will be effective from May 6, 2024.

 

Details later…

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80% of buildings in Lekki have no government approval, says commissioner

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The commissioner for physical planning and urban development in Lagos, Oluyinka Olumide, says 80 percent of buildings in the Ibeju Lekki-Epe corridor have no government approval.

The Lagos government has been facing backlash for the demolition of buildings and shanties across the state.

Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment in Lagos, has repeatedly said the demolished structures were erected in contravention of the city’s masterplan, were never approved by the relevant agencies, and occluded drainage channels.

In an interview with journalists, Olumide said despite the rigorous procedures involved in securing government approval, property developers and owners are still circumventing due process.

 

“Just last Thursday and Friday, my team and I were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked,” he said.

“We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 percent of them do not have approval.

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“The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land.

 

“Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

“The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expanse of land.

“So, you can see all these layers. But people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge.

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“Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose.”

 

On Sunday, Wahab said owners of recently demolished property in Maryland had been served notices since 2021.

 

“We are not just doing demolitions. The law allows us to remove encumbrances on the right of way of the drainage channels,” Wahab said.

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