Photo: Vanguard The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Uluseyi Petinrin, said some unknown persons have gained unlawful access to the computer systems of Defence Headquarters and that of the Nigerian Navy.
The CDS represented by the Chief of Research and Development, Major General M. K Amao made the remarks during the 'world cyber security conference' yesterday in Abuja.
He said there was daily increase in high profile hacking incidences against major corporations and institutions around the world and that the nature of attacks has taken the form of infiltration of systems or confidential information being compromised or stolen.
"Here in Nigeria, our defence and security institutions have not been left out. My defence headquarters' website for example, was hacked not too long ago. One of the services, the navy also had its website hacked. We are also aware of similar experiences with other security agencies in the country.
"Furthermore, the threat posed by the Boko Haram sect through online reports of their activities needs to be effectively checked. So far, we have achieved successes in the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT), surveillance and tracking equipments to locate criminal elements in our society and perpetrators of the Boko Haram menace. However further successes would be achieved if we apply cyber technology and space researches to tackle the country's contemporary security challenges," the CDS said.
He said criminals have attacked cloud-based servers in a global fraud campaign affecting at least 60 banks worldwide and stealing billions of dollars. He said cyber attacks may however standout as a stumbling block or threat to the actualization of the Nigeria's 'cashless policy' except if concrete measures are put in place to counter such attacks. The hackers used sophisticated techniques including automation and targeted high-value bank accounts.
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