👨🏿‍🚀TechCabal Daily – Data breach rocks SA’s upcoming elections

Cybersecurity

South Africa will hold its seventh general election on May 29, 2024. To participate in the elections, many political parties and independent candidates have submitted nomination requirements in line with the amended Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regulations on March 8. 

Last week, the Labour Party, a newly registered political party, took the IEC to Court to compel the agency to extend its March 8 deadline.

The party argued that failing to extend the deadline would compromise the integrity of the election, rendering it neither free nor fair. However, the court dismissed the application because the Labour Party hadn’t contacted the IEC about the issue or filed a dispute, and the challenge came only at the deadline despite the electoral timetable being published on February 25. 

So all is well? Not quite. On March 9, the Information Regulator (IR) confirmed a data breach in the IEC that exposed candidate lists for the African National Congress (ANC) and Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.

Unauthorised individuals gained access to the candidate lists before they were officially released and personal information like ID numbers of the candidates are now in the public domain. The IEC has since reported the incidents to the IR.

What’s the IR saying? The IR informed the IEC that their reports violated POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) due to insufficient information. The IR has also mandated the IEC to provide details regarding the breaches, including evidence of notification to the ANC and MK Party about the leaks, the extent of individuals impacted by the leaks, and the methods through which unauthorised individuals gained access to the data.

This is a developing story.

You don’t have to take our word for it. Give it a shot like he did Click here to experience fast and reliable personal banking with Moniepoint.

Startups

Three months after major players like Jumia and Bolt exited Nigeria’s food and grocery delivery segment, a new player—GoLemon— has emerged as a fresh contender to compete with YC-backed Chowdeck, and Glovo in the market.

Despite market exits by Jumia and Bolt, former Paystack executives have confidently ventured into the delivery sector with GoLemon, a new startup delivering groceries and household items. The startup is led by Stripe-owned ex-Paystack employees: Yinka Adewuyi, Gbadegbo Gbade-Oyelakin, Abdulrahman Jogbojogbo, and Abiola Showemimo—all of whom were at Paystack for at least six years.

According to Jogbojogbo, GoLemon was purposefully crafted to focus on customers who frequently make repeat purchases and have large orders.

The team will lean on Showemimo’s background as a Lagos-based supermarket owner and Gbade-Oyelakin’s tenure as head of engineering at Supermart, an online grocery platform, to drive the business forward.

Here’s why the ex-Paystack crew is betting on a grocery delivery business.

Collect payments via Bank Transfer, Cards, Virtual Account & Mobile Money with Fincra’s secure payment gateway. What’s more? You get to save money for your business when you use Fincra. Start now.

Regulation

Yesterday, we brought you news of the Lagos state government threatening to sanction Uber for failing to supply records of users’ and trip information

The ride-hailing company has fired back, claiming that it is in full compliance with rules set by Nigeria’s largest city. “We have met Lagos State’s regulatory obligations, including an annual fee, per-trip levy, and data sharing requirements,” the company said in an email to TechCabal. 

Lagos, in 2020, signed an “essential data sharing agreement” with Uber, mandating the company to provide trackable information about its riders and drivers for the security and safety of its citizens. 

The regulations were not Uber’s first dance with the Lagos statement government. In 2016, Uber shared the information of 11.6 million passengers and 600,000 drivers with the government and claimed the data points were sufficient enough for regulators to carry out their duties. However, the Lagos state government was out for more blood, requesting the ride-hailing company for more data in 2020. 

While the regulation might have a security-facing motive, speculation persists that Lagos might also be interested in identifying potential tax sources within its population.

Spin up a sales force with dozens – even hundreds – of Virtual Terminal accounts in seconds, without the headache of managing physical hardware. Learn more → 

Cybersecurity

Keep your purses phones safe, there is a new thief in town.

Yesterday, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) raised an alarm about a sneaky malware program stylised “Ov3r Stealer” that’s targeting Facebook accounts and extracting sensitive information. Think of it as a virtual pickpocket, snatching your data while you scroll through dream jobs that may not even exist.

An overstealer: Disguised as a job advertisement link, the malware tricks users into clicking it. This click initiates data extraction, potentially exposing them to further attacks.

Don’t click on suspicious links: One surefire tip the NITDA recommends in dodging this digital bandit is to be wary of suspicious ads. Before you click that job link, be sure that it is from the right source. NITDA also recommends updating your apps regularly. The agency also advises that you update the antivirus software of your personal computer to track every move of the malware and its other cousins.

The recent discovery of “Ov3r Stealer” spreading through social media may seem like a fresh nightmare. But for cybersecurity experts, it’s a grim reminder that malware is constantly evolving. 

In 2022, Avast researchers uncovered a similar villain: Redline Stealer. This password-stealing malware lurked within seemingly harmless downloads offered on hacked Facebook business pages across continents. From Brazil’s ISP Viu Internet to social media accounts in Slovakia and the Philippines, unsuspecting users clicking for free tools or games unwittingly infected their devices with Redline Stealer.

NVIDIA GTC returns on March 18–21, 2024 to San Jose, California and virtually. It is renowned for being the premier AI event that brings together the brightest minds in the technology industry. Register now.

Crypto Tracker

Source:

Coin Name	Current Value	Day	Month
Bitcoin	$71,532	+ 4.26%	+ 48.52%
Ether	$4,026	+ 4.16%	+ 60.87%
Solana	$152.21	+ 8.21%	+ 39.11%
DEVAI	$5.33	+ 5.56%	+ 356.89%

* Data as of 09:45 PM WAT, March 10, 2024.

Experience the best rates and enjoy swift 6-24hrs delivery times. Elevate your business with OneLiquidity–get started today.

Bitcoin is at the top of the world; the cryptocurrency is at an all-time high at $71,000! Ether, which has always been in second, also crossed $4,000 this week. CoinTelegraph reports that the cryptocurrency has been steadily rising since the approval of the spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S. In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority, on Monday, also opened the doors for institutional investors to create crypto asset-backed exchange-traded notes. 

Several countries are bullish on crypto, and it’s leading to investor confidence that’s seeing the cryptocurrency rise higher than it ever has. Countries like El Salvador, which made crypto legal tender in 2021, are now reporting 70% in profits—about $85 million—in its treasury. If analysts are to be believed though, the high could come crashing down soon and leave the market back to its December 2023 numbers. 

Opportunities

• As the world marks the 2024 International Women’s Month, Moniepoint Inc has announced the launch of this year’s edition of the Women-In-Tech initiative. Ten women will take on roles in various teams that include Cloud Engineering, Backend Engineering, Technical Product Management, Data Engineering, Systems Administration, Technical Support and User Experience. These women will be provided with a salary, work tools, merch, the opportunity to work on live projects during the internship and an offer of full-time employment depending on assessment post-internship. Apply by March 17.
• The Corporate Social Responsibility arm of MTN Nigeria, MTN Foundation has opened applications for phase two of its “Yellopreneur” initiative, through which it intends to offer 150 female entrepreneurs with ₦3 million each as loans to boost their businesses. Apply by March 30 .
• Applications are open for the Access Bank Youthrive Program for Nigerian MSMEs. The program is a collaboration between the bank and the Vice President’s office, dedicated to empowering individuals and MSMEs. With a focus on capacity development, financial empowerment, and business exchange, the program aims to impact 4 million youths over the next four years. Apply here.

What else is happening in tech?

• Next Wave: Agritech are startups outpaced by traditional brokers. What can be done?
• Chams believes mobile money and cross-border payments will fuel growth after government fiasco
• All the things we like about the TECNO Spark 20 Pro Plus
• How Flashchange is empowering digital transactions through gift cards

Written by: Mariam Muhammad & Faith Omoniyi

Edited by: Timi Odueso

Want more of TechCabal? Sign up for our insightful newsletters on the business and economy of tech in Africa.

• The Next Wave: futuristic analysis of the business of tech in Africa.
• Entering Tech: tech career insights and opportunities in your inbox every Wednesday at 3 PM WAT.
• In a Giffy: business decisions powered by data-driven insights and analysis you can trust.
• TC Scoops: breaking news from TechCabal

ADVERTISE

To advertise with us send an email to

ads@bigcabal.com