A committee was set up by the ministry to curb the activities of cybercriminals during the elections, which started work on February 24 and ended on February 28, 2023. The committee recorded various hacking attempts, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), email, and IPS attacks, SSH Login Attempts, Brute force Injection attempts, Path Traversal, Detection Evasion, and Forceful Browsing. The centres successfully blocked these attacks and forwarded them to the relevant institutions for appropriate action.
Mr Pantami revealed that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy had been proactive in protecting Nigerian cyberspace and ICT infrastructure. On February 24, 2023, the minister inaugurated the Ministerial Standing Committee on Advisory Role for the Protection of Nigerian Cyberspace and ICT Infrastructure.
Mr Pantami urged Nigerians to be more security-conscious while using cyberspace, stating that cyber threats had become a significant security issue, and everyone must play their part in preventing cyber attacks. He said, “Cyber threats are real, and we must all be security-conscious and support the government in the fight against cybercrime.”
The minister also urged government agencies and parastatals to make cybersecurity a top priority, insisting that they must protect their information assets and infrastructure from cyber-attacks. He emphasized that his ministry was willing to collaborate with other stakeholders to tackle the menace of cybercrime in the country.
Mr Pantami further urged Nigerians to report any suspected cyber attack to the relevant authorities. He said the ministry had launched a cybersecurity information portal to enable the public to report any cyber attack or suspicious activity. He also advised Nigerians to be cautious of phishing attacks, where cybercriminals use fake links to lure unsuspecting victims to provide sensitive information, such as login credentials and personal data.