Anonymous Sudan Launches Cyberattacks on Nigeria’s Vital Information Systems

On August 1, 2023, Anonymous Sudan announced on their Telegram channel that they would be launching cyberattacks on Nigeria’s vital information systems. This announcement was made in response to Nigeria’s participation in ECOWAS’s recent instructions to the Nigerien military to hand over power to the democratically elected government of the Niger Republic.

The planned attack began on August 2nd, with MTN Nigeria being the first victim on the list. As a result, customers and users of various services experienced a partial service outage. The attack has caused significant downtime, as many businesses and individuals rely heavily on online services. MTN Nigeria confirmed that it had suffered a downtime and that it was working to restore its services and secure its systems

Following and prior to the cyberattack launched by Anonymous Sudan on Nigeria’s vital information systems, the Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in Nigeria have taken proactive measures to help organizations protect their systems.

The Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT), which is located at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) have both released advisories to help organizations during this period.

The advisories provide guidelines on how organizations can protect their systems from cyber threats and what to do in case of a cyberattack. They also provide information on how to report cyber incidents and seek assistance from the relevant authorities.

The ngCERT advisory includes deploying DDoS protection services where possible. The NITDA CERRT advisory also emphasizes the need for organizations to educate their employees on cybersecurity best practices and to implement robust incident response plans.

The release of these advisories by the CERTs is a step in the right direction towards enhancing Nigeria’s cybersecurity posture. It is important for organizations to take these advisories seriously and implement the recommended measures to protect their systems from cyber threats.

In conclusion, the cyberattack launched by Anonymous Sudan on Nigeria’s vital information systems highlights the need for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity. The release of advisories by ngCERT and NITDA CERRT is a welcome development and demonstrates the government’s commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s cybersecurity posture. It is crucial for organizations to take proactive measures to protect their systems and seek assistance from the relevant authorities in case of a cyber incident.