The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has confirmed that its website has been compromised, as cyberattacks targeting public institutions in Nigeria continue to rise.
In a statement on its X handle on Wednesday night, the NBS announced, “This is to inform the public that the NBS website has been hacked, and we are working to recover it. Please disregard any messages or reports posted until the website is fully restored. Thank you.”
Checks on the NBS website at 9:45 p.m. revealed a nearly blank page displaying the message, “Page Hacked.”
This incident is part of a growing trend of cyber breaches targeting government websites.
In March, a significant breach was reported when FIJ revealed that the private website XpressVerify.com had access to the National Identification Numbers (NINs) and personal details of registered Nigerians.
To combat these persistent threats, the federal government has issued over 30 cyberattack advisories in the past year.
Check Point Software Technologies, a cybersecurity firm, highlighted the increasing frequency of attacks, placing Nigeria 19th globally for cyber threats in July 2024.
The firm also reported that government agencies in the country face an average of 1,791 cyberattacks weekly.