MTN Nigeria Experiences Glitches, As Pro-Niger Hackers Attack Firm’s Network

MTN Nigeria’s network was attacked by Pro-Nigerien hackers, Anonymous Sudan, on Wednesday. This was revealed by the hackers and an official in the network provider.

Anonymous Sudan said it attacked the network of MTN Nigeria as a response to President Bola Tinubu’s proposed invasion of the Republic of Niger. 

Although the hacktivist group’s attempt was unsuccessful, Anonymous Sudan, through its Telegram account, accused Nigeria of participating in the alleged French-driven invasion of Niger. 

The hacker group also stated that Nigeria is planning on cutting power to Niger to sanction the country after a military coup displaced a democratically elected president.

“We claim full responsibility for this attack because of Nigeria’s government actions against Niger. 

“They are attempting to cut power and are willing to participate in the French colonialistic planned invasion of Niger,” Anonymous Sudan said. 

Note that reports emerged on Wednesday that Nigeria has cut the electricity supply to Niger. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the decision on Thursday.

Also confirming the attempt to hack MTN Nigeria’s network, a source in the telecommunications company said there were a few glitches, but the hack wasn’t successful. 

“It is true, but they didn’t successfully hack us. They attempted to. They said it was because of Nigeria’s stance against Niger Republic; that it was their way of getting back and they are trying to shut down the network in Nigeria. 

“They made several attempts but the firewalls around our system are massive. To take it down, you would need to do a lot. There were one or two glitches, but it didn’t affect us. They tried it yesterday (Wednesday),” Punch reported. 

Also, the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) had warned financial service providers, telecommunication providers, and relevant government service providers of possible cybersecurity breaches. 

The NITDA’s response team said: “The hacktivist group, known for its politically and religiously motivated cyber campaigns, poses a significant risk to our critical information infrastructure.”

Fakoyejo Olalekan

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