If you have been paying attention, then you know cyberattack is among the significant threat in the world. Disrupting nuclear programs (Stuxnet), attacking financial services (Epsilon), allegedly influencing elections (US elections), activism (Anonymous), car hack/hijack (Jeep cars), the list goes on and on. DDoS attacks, disruption, hacking, phishing, cyber this, cyber that; hearing these words have become part of us. We hear them during an election, protest, in our offices, pretty much everywhere.

Last week I wrote about the ‘Implications of Software Piracy in Nigeria’ and also promised to write about the approaches we can all take to minimize software piracy. I figured it is only right to propose mitigation strategies that can help provide insights towards solving the problem. However, someone sent me an email asking, “Why is software piracy common in Nigeria?” Below is my response: First, software piracy is not a Nigerian-only issue.

As our lives depend more and more on software usage, ensuring that the software we use is secured is essential. The rate of software piracy in Africa keeps rising. There is at least one pirated software installed in one out of every five devices in Africa. As these devices continuously connect to the internet, they expand the attack surfaces of African networks. The software piracy rate in developing nations like Nigeria is at 83 percent and that of Zimbabwe at 92 percent (ChartsBin ‘09).

It’s May 15, 2015, the semester is over and I can finally take a moment to reflect on what has been an extraordinary year. I have now reached a milestone in my Ph.D - I have completed my first academic year, and as I settle into this academic journey, I’m feeling more confident, more inspired, and more curious than ever before. I’ve successfully completed my first year—a year that, at first, was daunting and full of uncertainty, but now, in hindsight, feels like a period of immense personal and intellectual growth.

It’s October 2014, and I’ve just begun my Ph.D. journey. Between classes, research, and everything else that comes with being a full-time student, finding time to blog has become more challenging than I anticipated. It’s not that I don’t have thoughts to share or ideas to write about—quite the opposite. I have plenty to say, but the process of creating polished blog posts has started to feel overwhelming. In the past, I would meticulously plan each post, aiming for perfection with impeccable formatting, and visual aesthetics.