The Information Security Society of Africa–Nigeria, ISSAN has warned that the growing sophistication of cyber threats poses a serious risk to business sustainability, profitability, and operational resilience across Nigeria.

The warning was issued during ISSAN’s monthly meeting held in collaboration with MAXUT Consulting, where cybersecurity experts examined emerging risks in the digital landscape and strategies for strengthening organizational defenses.

Speaking at the event, ISSAN President and Executive Director of Risk Management at Nova Bank, Dr. David Isiavwe, said cyberattacks have evolved beyond traditional IT concerns and now represent a critical business and national security challenge.

According to him, cybercriminals are increasingly deploying sophisticated methods to target individuals, businesses, critical national infrastructure, and strategic assets.

He identified major threats confronting organizations as identity theft, Business Email Compromise (BEC), phishing attacks, ransomware, WhatsApp account hijacking, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, payment card fraud, cryptocurrency-related crimes, and other social engineering schemes.

The concerns were highlighted during a technical presentation titled, “Confronting the New Mobile Threat Landscape: Beyond User Authentication,” which focused on emerging vulnerabilities in mobile environments and the need for more advanced security measures.

Dr. Isiavwe stressed that organizations must adopt proactive risk management approaches to stay ahead of evolving threats.

He urged businesses to implement continuous monitoring systems, address vulnerabilities promptly, and invest in regular cybersecurity awareness programmes for employees and customers.

The ISSAN president also advocated the adoption of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and automation to improve threat detection and response capabilities.

He further called for stronger collaboration among industry stakeholders, regulators, law enforcement agencies, and cybersecurity professionals to combat the growing menace.

“No organization can successfully confront today’s cyber threats in isolation. Information sharing, collaboration, and collective vigilance remain essential to protecting our digital ecosystem and safeguarding public trust,” he said.

ISSAN reaffirmed its commitment to promoting cybersecurity awareness, capacity building, information sharing, and industry collaboration as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s cyber resilience and support the growth of a secure digital economy.

The Society noted that as cyber threats continue to evolve in scale and complexity, organizations must prioritize cybersecurity as a core component of business strategy to safeguard operations, customer trust, and long-term profitability.