We don’t take cybersecurity seriously until it’s too late

Let’s be honest most Nigerians don’t think about cybersecurity until something goes wrong. That’s just who we are. We do not repair the roof until it starts leaking. We do not save contacts till the phone crashes. And we don’t secure our data until someone has interfered with it. In my experience, many small business owners still assume cybersecurity is a “big man problem” something for banks and tech giants, not for a boutique, computer-centers, fashion store, a real estate firm, or an influencer with 1000 Instagram followers. They believe that because they aren’t worth millions, no one is interested in hacking them. That impression usually ends when the money disappears or their social media accounts are hacked.

Of course, by that point, it is too late.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard the following sentence: “But we didn’t think it could happen to us.” It occurs after phishing attacks, email hacks, and internal breaches that should have been avoided with the simplest procedures. It’s not because we don’t care. We underestimate the risks until they become a reality. Not long ago, a small business startup fell prey to a seemingly usual scam. One of employee from the payroll department got what appeared to be a typical vendor invoice, with the same branding, phrases, and time as usual. Nothing looked strange. However, they were unaware that the real vendor’s email had been stolen weeks earlier. The fraudster had been quietly observing the conversation, studying the flow, and waiting for the appropriate moment. When they finally sent the fake invoice, it was nearly flawless. The money was transferred, and then it was gone. There are no alarms. There were no red flags. The fact that it could have been prevented so easily made it worse. Only one phone call to confirm the authenticity of the invoice or get someone takes a second look. However, in many offices, the pause never occurs. The pace is swift, the pressure is intense, and the goal is to do things quickly. Simple checks, such as payment confirmation, are sometimes overlooked in the effort to keep efficient. And that’s where gaps start to emerge.

And this is where we keep doing it wrong.

In Nigeria, many businesses still use technology in a casual way. Passwords are exchanged carelessly, devices are passed around, people use their personal laptops or phones to access work accounts, former employees’ accounts remain active long after they’ve left the company, security upgrades are delayed because they cause the desktop computers amd phones to slow down. The list goes on. It’s not just unsafe; it’s reckless. The interesting thing is that we know how to secure our physical spaces. We lock the gates, we install CCTV, we hire security personnel. However, when it comes to our digital lives, the very things we now rely on to hold our money, run our businesses, and communicate with our clients, we leave them wide open. No backups. No access control. No plan.

When things eventually go wrong, everyone scrambles. That’s when businesses start employing “IT guys,” downloading antivirus software, and sending panic emails to customers. However, this occurs only after the damage has been done. The truth is, cybersecurity is more than simply technology. It’s about habits. It all comes down to your thinking. It is about choosing before the crisis that your data, business, and consumer trust are worth protecting. We need to begin asking ourselves better questions. Who has access to what? What happens if someone clicks the incorrect link? How quickly can we recover after a data loss? Are we training our teams or simply assuming they will figure it out? This article is not about instilling fear. It is about developing resilience in our business and among employees because the way things are going, digital risks will continue to increase. Cybercrime is no longer a something to be ignored; it’s a full-fledged enterprise. And, like every other industry, it is evolving. The perpetrators are learning. Are we? Until we change our perspective on cybersecurity from an afterthought to a foundation, we will continue to respond after a breach has occurred. After the money is gone, after the accounts are locked and after the damage is done.