Lagos State Ministry of Justice has announced the introduction of a cyber security toolkit for small business, a free online resource that small businesses can use to significantly reduce their cyber risk and curtail incidences of cybercrime.

A joint effort between the Ministry and the Global Cyber Alliance, GCA, an international, cross-sector effort dedicated to eradicating cyber risk and improving our connected world, the toolkit will provide real-world tools and clear directions for taking immediate action for reducing cyber risk at a time when the need for such resources has never been greater.

Speaking at the Launch, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, Adeniji Kazeem described the toolkit as a great asset to small businesses.

According to Kazeem, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the major driving force for the deployment of the cyber security toolkit for small businesses in Lagos State is its apparent potential to reduce cybercrime which in-turn has a significant impact on our collective gains as a Ministry that focuses on creating a crime free society.’’

He said the nature of cybercrime goes beyond national boundaries; hence, there was need for international initiative and concerted trans-border joint actions in fighting cybercrime and also providing bulwarks against its perpetration.

To further its cybersecurity efforts, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice joined GCA as a partner in support of its mission to eradicate global cyber risk.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of a community and provide all manner of essential services and support to individuals, enterprise businesses and government. Even though a business may be small, when it comes to cybercrime the risks are great.

The toolkit, which will be regularly updated with input from users, industry experts and public and private partners across the globe, was developed in partnership with Mastercard.

The Global Cyber Alliance also partnered with several additional organizations to create the GCA cybersecurity toolkit, including the Center for Internet Security, the Cyber Readiness Institute, the City of London and the City of New York.

At the launch of the toolkit, which took place in New York and London on the 19th February 2019, in reiterating the importance of cybersecurity, City of London Police Commissioner Ian Dyson said, “As the national lead force for fraud and a founding member of the Global Cyber Alliance, we are always pleased to see new initiatives that will assist businesses in improving their cyber security. Businesses lost £6.7 million as a result of social media and email accounts being compromised between April and September 2018.

It’s therefore essential that we, as a force, continue to work closely with businesses as well as the organisations that serve to protect them.”

According to Cyrus Vance, Jr., Manhattan District Attorney, “When we launched the Global Cyber Alliance we set out to empower organizations of all sizes with the tools they need to prevent cybercrime.

The Global Cyber Alliance’s free Cybersecurity Toolkit provides small- and medium-sized businesses with immediate, concrete steps to protect their companies and customers against crippling cyberattacks, and I thank each of the public and private partners who contributed their world-class expertise.” “What sets the Global Cyber Alliance Cybersecurity Toolkit apart is that it is an action kit,” said Philip Reitinger, President and CEO of Global Cyber Alliance.

“Our focus is on producing a dynamic clearinghouse of operational tools that help small and medium businesses address risk and improve their cybersecurity posture, leveraging the deep expertise of our network of global partners, such as Mastercard, and the experiences of actual GCA toolkit users.” As a thriving State, which encourages inward investment and also supports indigenous Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which are vulnerable to cybercrime, this initiative is appropriate and timely.

Lagos State Government will encourage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the business community and regulatory bodies to embrace this cybercrime toolkit for small business as a formidable initiative in fighting cybercrimes and related offences.

To access the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit, visit https://gcatoolkit.org/smallbusiness or the website of Lagos State Ministry of Justice http://www.lagosministryofjustice.org for a redirection to the GCA Website.

The Lagos State Ministry of Justice and the GCA will also be conducting a series of webinars on how to protect your business from cybercrime. Detail will be announced on Lagos MoJ website soon.