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Nigeria Is Free From WannaCry Attack – NITDA

Published

8 years ago

May 21, 2017

Nigeria is free from the attack of ransomware known as ‘WannaCry’ says the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

NITDA says Nigeria is free from the “WannaCry” ransomware attack, it also said that the country must sustain security from stakeholders in order to forestall future attacks.

The Director-General of NITDA, Dr Isa Ibrahim, made this assertion in a statement issued by Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Cooperate Affairs and External Relations on Sunday in Abuja.

The malware ‘WannaCry’ attack had been ongoing worldwide attacking cyber café operating systems. It targets computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system by encrypting data and demanding ransom payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Around the globe, including Europe, America and Russia, It is believed to have affected systems of 300,000 computers worldwide, more than 150 countries across the globe.

Dr Isa Ibrahim,, however, said that Nigeria was spared following sensitisation from relevant stakeholders.

“The management of NITDA would like to bring to the attention of Nigerians that the recent WannaCry or WannaCrypt ransomware attack has been contained.

“Nigeria was largely spared from the attack due to the massive enlightenment campaign, awareness and proactive measures put in place to swiftly deal with any reported incident.

“The efforts of all stakeholders in the Information Technology industry are highly commendable and appreciated.

“The attack which was considered to be one of the biggest cyber security attacks in recent history showed traces that Nigeria appeared to be isolated, as no major incident is reported in the country.

“We, therefore, call on all citizens, especially critical stakeholders in the IT industry, to support NITDA in this onerous task by always following best practices.

“They should be proactive in the way information and systems are handled as these will help in minimising risks of attacks as well as possible loss of vital information,” Abraham concluded.

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