The National Information Technology Development Agency’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team has warned ministries, departments, and agencies of rising cyber-attacks in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This warning was made in a press statement distributed by NITDA’s spokesperson, Hadiza Umar.
It read in part, “Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cyberattacks on businesses and government organizations have grown, with the possibility of spillover cyberattacks against non-primary targets becoming far more frequent. There is a greater danger for countries doing business in or with these countries’ governments, as well as businesses or countries that apply sanctions or are believed to intervene.
“In this regard, the National Information Technology Development Agency’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team is urging all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to take extra security precautions by hardening their cyber defences and performing due diligence in identifying indicators of malicious activity that could affect their networks, assets, and critical national infrastructure.”
NITDA-CERRT advised MDAs to take certain preventive actions to repel such attacks, which include carrying out checks for possible vulnerabilities in their systems and implementing appropriate remedies. MDAs were also urged to always ensure software are updated, carry out regular patches on all systems, and secure and monitor remote desktop protocol and other risky services. They were further advised to carry out awareness on cyber security best practices to sensitize employees and users of services.
MDAs were further asked to sign up for NITDA’s free web protection service, which will provide them with detailed information about the vulnerability of their web services.
