A few weeks after launching an attack on crucial Kenya’s government service portals like Ecitizen, Anonymous Sudan Hackers are on the highlight again and are claimed to have targeted Nigeria’s digital infrastructure in response to Niger’s crisis involvement.
According to reports by Technext, “The recent engagement of Nigeria in the political turmoil unfolding in its neighbouring country, Niger, has drawn the attention of the well-known hacktivist group, Anonymous Sudan. “
Reports state that this group has now initiated a series of attacks on Nigeria’s digital infrastructure using Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) tactics.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), a government entity confirmed these allegations.
According to a press release obtained by Technext, NITDA has identified the actions of a hacktivist collective that is focusing on compromising Nigeria’s digital assets.
NITDA expressed concern about this hacktivist group, which is recognized for engaging in cyber campaigns driven by political and religious motivations.
The agency disclosed that the group employs targeted assaults on governmental digital services, employing various attack methodologies, with DDoS attacks being prominently featured.
“The group has a history of successful cyber attacks in other nations as well,” NITDA noted.
It’s noteworthy that while NITDA refrained from explicitly naming the responsible group, a subsequent investigation by Technext identified Anonymous Sudan as the perpetrator.
The group has been actively publicizing disruptions to the services of MTN, a prominent Nigerian telecommunications company.
Using its private Telegram channel, similar to the recent Kenya attacks, Anonymous Sudan shared updates on its assault.
The hackers shared screenshots illustrating customers’ frustration with the degraded network performance.
On Telegram, the group posted, “We have received confirmation from sources in Nigeria and Twitter that there is a significant concern due to the MTN network outage.”
The group acknowledged the inability of MTN subscribers to carry out basic online tasks, such as loading the Google webpage.
Anonymous Sudan highlighted that Nigerians would encounter challenges accessing the telco’s mobile app and website, in addition to disruptions to customer care services, bank transactions, and recharge systems.
Reports from MTN users corroborate the impact of poor connectivity throughout the day.
Some even contemplated switching to competitors like Glo and Airtel due to the service degradation.
The recent attacks are reminiscent of a pattern seen earlier when Anonymous Sudan orchestrated multiple DDoS attacks on various government websites in Kenya.
According to reports, these attacks were executed to dissuade Kenya from deploying peacekeeping forces to Sudan.
The group threatened to persist with the offensive until Kenya abandoned its plans.
In the current context, the motivation is linked to the ongoing crisis in Niger.
A successful coup led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani on July 26 ousted Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Nigeria has been actively striving to reinstate civilian rule in its neighbouring nation.
Anonymous Sudan pointed out Nigeria’s decision to cut off electricity supply to Niger as a contributing factor to its attack.
Nigeria’s Involvement and Anonymous Sudan’s Response
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria heads the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), an organization that includes Niger as a member.
Nigeria’s involvement in the crisis is logical given the close ties the two nations share.
Previous decisions by former President Muhammadu Buhari, such as initiating a rail project to Niger and purchasing vehicles worth N1.4 billion for the Nigerien government, underscore the historical connections.
The duration and scope of these cyber attacks remain uncertain. NITDA recommends that all governmental bodies, departments, and agencies implement DDoS monitoring systems, subscribe to DDoS protection services, and configure hardware like firewalls to block external DNS responses.
Private corporations, including telecom companies, are advised to adopt similar security measures to safeguard their systems.