News

Hackers Take Over NBS Website

Published

6 hours ago

Dec 19, 2024.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has confirmed that its website has been hacked, adding to the growing wave of cyberattacks targeting public institutions in Nigeria.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement posted on its official X handle late Wednesday, the NBS said, “This is to inform the public that the NBS website has been hacked, and we are working to recover it. Please disregard any messages or reports posted until the website is fully restored. Thank you.”

A visit to the NBS website at 9:45 p.m. revealed a sparsely populated page with the stark message: “Page Hacked.”

This breach underscores the increasing vulnerability of government systems in Nigeria, which have faced a surge in cyberattacks.

Earlier in March, a significant breach was reported involving XpressVerify.com, a private platform found to have unauthorized access to the National Identification Numbers (NINs) and personal data of Nigerians.

In response to these threats, the federal government has issued more than 30 cyberattack advisories over the past year.

Cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies noted Nigeria’s precarious position, ranking the country 19th globally for cyber threats as of July 2024. The firm further revealed that Nigerian government agencies experience an alarming average of 1,791 cyberattacks weekly.

Hackers NBS Website

Efforts are underway to restore the NBS website, while the incident highlights the pressing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures across Nigeria’s public institutions.