AI-powered cyberattacks threaten Nigeria’s telecoms, banking systems — NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned that increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence-powered cyberattacks pose a growing threat to Nigeria’s telecommunications networks, banking system and national security.

The commission’s Executive Vice-Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, said cybercriminals were deploying AI tools to launch targeted phishing attacks, steal login credentials, create deepfakes to bypass security checks and develop malware capable of evading detection.

Maida spoke on Tuesday at the second International Cybersecurity Conference in Abuja. He was represented by the NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Sunday Oshadami.

“We now face AI-driven phishing tailored to individuals, automated credential attacks, deepfakes designed to bypass multi-factor authentication, and malware that rewrites itself to evade detection,” he said.

Maida warned that the growing dependence of banks, businesses and public institutions on telecommunications infrastructure meant that attacks on telecom operators could trigger disruptions across several critical sectors.

“An attack on a telecom provider is an attack on the financial sector, national defence, and civil governance,” he said.

According to him, artificial intelligence has changed the nature of cybercrime by enabling attackers to identify vulnerabilities and execute sophisticated operations at speeds that conventional security systems may struggle to match.

“We are no longer defending against human hackers operating at human speed; we are confronting machine learning systems operating at microsecond computational speed,” he added.

The NCC chief cited reported cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in France and a spyware campaign targeting at least 45 devices belonging to journalists and media personnel in the Middle East between 2024 and 2025 as examples of emerging cybersecurity risks.

He said the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure made its protection essential to Nigeria’s economic stability and national security.

Maida disclosed that the commission had established a Computer Security Incident Response Team to monitor threats, facilitate intelligence sharing and enforce incident reporting.

He added that the NCC had introduced a Cyber Resilience Framework to establish common security standards for licensed telecommunications operators.

The commission urged telecom operators to adopt zero-trust security systems, regularly audit AI models for vulnerabilities and build networks capable of recovering from cyberattacks without prolonged service disruptions.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullahi, said cybercriminals were increasingly exploiting human vulnerabilities rather than targeting technology alone.

Abdullahi disclosed that NITDA was working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Assembly on a review of the Cybercrime Act. He said the agency was also exploring a national cybersecurity architecture and measures to strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the ministry was developing legislative reforms to address emerging cyber threats.

He said the proposed reforms would improve the handling of electronic evidence, investigations and prosecutions while safeguarding fundamental rights.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Shuaib Salisu, called for a national cybersecurity resilience index to assess organisations’ preparedness for cyber threats.

Salisu also advocated stronger collaboration among government agencies and increased regional cooperation to improve digital security.