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FG assures of cyberspace, blocks 3.8m attacks during Guber elections

By Adeyemi Adepetun
23 March 2023   |   2:28 am
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, has revealed that cyber criminals launched 3,834,244 from both within and outside Nigeria during the Governorship election of March 18.

[FILES] Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami PHOTO: Twitter

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, has revealed that cybercriminals launched 3,834,244 from both within and outside Nigeria during the Governorship election of March 18.

Pantami said the implementation of some recommendations as well as measures taken to fortify Nigerian cyber defence mechanisms might have helped in blocking the attacks.

In a statement, yesterday, signed by the Senior Technical Assistant (Research and Development) to the Minister, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, Pantami, who put the breakdown of the attacks as follows: Friday, March 17, (1,046,896); Saturday, March 18 (1,481,8470); Sunday, March 19 (327,718) and Monday, March 20, (977,783), stressed that the blockade was made possible by cyberspace infrastructures put in place by the government to monitor activities in the nation’s cyberspace before, during, and after the elections.

He stated that the Federal Government formed a standing committee with the mandate to secure the nation’s cyberspace, which consolidated its efforts, as recorded during the Presidential elections, to ensure that Nigeria’s cyberspace remained safe and secure.

The minister also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his support and approval of initiatives to promote the digital economy and cyber security.

According to Pantami, “it is interesting to note that the activities of cyberthreat actors on the Nigerian cyberspace during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections are much lower than those during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. This is neither surprising nor unexpected as, Nigeria being Africa’s largest democracy, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are bound to attract much attention of everyone, including cyberthreat actors, than during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections,” he stated.

He said the committee, which monitored telecommunication infrastructure for the successful conduct of the 2023 General Elections, were charged with developing and implementing plans to enhance the resilience of critical digital infrastructure against cyber threats; designing procedures and using technologies to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber-attacks. This is as well as developing the ability to quickly recover from any damage that is done; developing a comprehensive risk assessment, analysing the nation’s current cybersecurity capabilities, and identifying gaps that need to be addressed; and providing professional advice to the Government on the effective utilisation of digital technologies in the conduct of the 2023 General Elections.

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