Nigerian companies leave doors unlocked for hackers, experts warn

Cybersecurity experts have warned that recent cyber attacks on major Nigerian institutions exploited basic security gaps rather than sophisticated hacking techniques. Samuel Tomori, a cybersecurity expert and senior data analyst at Ceresense Training Institute, said attackers ‘walked through doors that were left unlocked.’ Referring to incidents involving Remita, Sterling Bank, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and others, Tomori criticized organizations for prioritizing compliance over genuine security. He noted that poor credential management, unpatched servers, and weak network segmentation were common vulnerabilities. Another expert, Iretioluwa Akerele, founder of Cybarik, echoed the concerns, urging companies to adopt a Zero Trust model and conduct regular vulnerability assessments. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched investigations into the breaches, but many affected institutions have not publicly confirmed them. The experts stressed that regulators must move beyond reliance on self-assessments and enforce independent evaluations to protect sensitive data.

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