The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team, has identified a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack on the nation’s vital digital infrastructure.
This cyberattack is being carried out by a hacktivist group known for its politically and religiously motivated campaigns, posing a significant risk to the country’s critical information infrastructure. Their tactics include targeted attacks on government digital services, particularly DDoS attacks, with a history of successful attacks in other countries.
“This realization compels us to recognize the urgency of reinforcing our cyber front, fortifying our digital defenses to shield against these malicious intrusions, and securing the safety of our critical information and infrastructure,” it stated.
In a press statement signed by Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, the agency urges the general public to be vigilant about these attacks, emphasizing that cyber-attacks are not a distant threat but a looming danger that is closer to Nigerians than previously realized.
The statement highlights the severe consequences of such cyberattacks, including disruption of critical services, economic losses, and damage to public trust and reputation.
To protect against attacks targeted at Government Institutions and other critical sectors, NITDA-CERRT advises all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as other providers of critical services, to implement measures to prevent DDoS attacks. These measures include deploying DDoS monitoring systems, minimizing the attack surface area, and using DDoS protection features, applications, or services such as rate limiting, load balancing, traffic filtering, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), Web application Firewalls, etc.
Additionally, NITDA recommends that organizations ensure abundant redundant Internet connectivity and configure network hardware, such as firewalls or routers, to drop incoming ICMP packets or block DNS responses from outside the network.
Moreover, NITDA emphasizes the importance of enhancing the cyber security readiness and resilience of critical national infrastructure, including financial services providers, telecommunications providers, and relevant government service providers, by implementing necessary cyber security measures to safeguard against potential attacks.
