Pro-Nigerien hackers, “Anonymous Sudan”, have tried to shut down MTN Nigeria’s network, to protest Nigeria’s stance on the coup in the Republic of Niger.
A credible source in the telecommunication firm, who spoke to The Punch on Thursday, said that the hackers tried to access MTN’s network many times but failed.
Anonymous Sudan, a “hacktivist” group, had on Wednesday claimed it had launched a cyberattack against MTN Nigeria.
The group claimed that its attack was because of Nigeria’s proposed military intervention in Niger.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, it said, “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.”
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Commenting on the claim of the attack, the source said, “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).”
The source stressed that MTN would continue to invest in its cybersecurity system and boost its firewalls.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the National Information Technology Development Agency, through its Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team, also issued a warning that it had detected hacking activities targeted at government digital services.
It said, “The hacktivist group, known for its politically and religiously motivated cyber campaigns, poses a significant risk to our critical information infrastructure.”
The agency advised financial service providers, telecommunication providers, and relevant government service providers to be cybersecurity ready.
