The Osun State Government has issued an urgent alert to the public regarding a security breach involving one of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s telephone numbers.
The alert, issued on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, by the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, urges the public to disregard any communications originating from the number +234 803 365 7555.
Rasheed stated, “Please disregard any solicitation from +234 803 365 7555. Appropriate action is ongoing to remedy the situation. Authorities are currently investigating the breach and are working diligently to secure the governor’s communication lines.”
The public is advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
This incident mirrors a similar warning issued by the Cross River State government five months ago after Governor Bassey Otu’s phone number was hacked.
In February 2024, Governor Otu’s chief press secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, confirmed that criminals had sent out unsolicited messages from the governor’s number seeking financial assistance. The public was advised to disregard such messages, and security agencies were tasked with apprehending the perpetrators.
In related news, the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has detected increased ransomware attacks by the Phobos ransomware group, specifically targeting critical cloud service providers in Nigeria. This group targets IT and telecommunication service providers, whose clients include critical government agencies, financial institutions, education, healthcare providers, and NGOs.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria has lost $500 million to cybercrime due to the rising incidence of cyberattacks globally and locally. Reports indicate that a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds, and cybercrimes have increased by nearly 300 percent since the COVID-19 outbreak.
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ngCERT explained that Phobos attackers gain entry into vulnerable networks through phishing campaigns or IP scanning tools like Angry IP Scanner to identify susceptible Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) ports.
They modify firewall configurations, use evasion tools, and employ techniques like token theft and privilege escalation to avoid detection. Successful attacks can lead to system compromise, ransom payment, data encryption, data loss, financial losses, Denial of Service (DoS), and fraudulent activities.
While ngCERT did not name the already affected organizations, it stated that it is actively collaborating with vulnerable and affected organizations to resolve incidents and prevent further escalation.
The body recommended that organizations proactively implement mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of ransomware.
