LAGOS, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 – Mr. Isa Patanmi, director-general, Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that Nigeria suffered about 2,175 cyber-attacks in 2015.
Patanmi, who disclosed this at the inauguration of a committee to implement the national cyber security strategy in Abuja, said a total of 585 government-owned websites were among the 2,175 Nigeria websites hacked in the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2015.
According to him, about 14 percent of the 97 million internet users in Nigeria suffered cyber-attacks, which he said had necessitated the setting up of Cyber Security Committee.
“A total of 585 government-owned websites were among the 2,175 Nigerian websites hacked in 2015, the Office of the National Security Adviser said recently. Of about 97 million internet users in Nigeria, about 14 percent suffered cyber-attacks,” the statement said.
From a threat intelligence drawn from Check Point Software Technologies by global payment giant, Paypal.com, Patani said Nigeria ranked as the 17th most attacked nation in the world in December 2015 in the global outlook.
He also informed that government websites had often been hacked as cyber security threats continue to grow in the West African nation.
On the inauguration of the committee, the NITDA boss said the idea was to strengthen cyber security in Nigeria and to raise awareness among the citizens on the need to guide against cyber threats, the use of encryption and human and institutional capacity building, among others.
