The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned that there are possible spillover cyberattacks against non-primary targets as a result of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.

Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, said the invasion had increased cyberattacks on businesses and government organisations.

“There is a greater danger for countries doing business in or with these countries’ governments, as well as businesses or countries that apply sanctions or are believed to intervene.

“In this regard, NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) is urging all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to take extra security precautions.

“They should harden their cyber defences and perform due diligence in identifying indicators of malicious activities that could affect their networks, assets, and critical national infrastructure.

“MDAs are advised to carry out checks for possible vulnerabilities on their systems and implement appropriate remediations,” Mrs Umar said.

She added that they should always ensure softwares are updated and carry out regular patches on all systems.

According to her, they should secure and monitor remote desktop protocol, other risky services and carry out awareness on cyber security best practices to sensitise employees and users of services.

Mrs Umar called on organisations to sign up for NITDA’s free web protection service, which will provide MDAs’ administrators with detailed information about the vulnerability of their web services.

She urged the public to make more enquiries by contacting the Head, NITDA-CERRT on cerrt@nitda.gov.ng, or call +2348178774580.

(NAN)