Cyber Incident Victim: Nigerian National Assembly
Date:
Feb 2015
Location:
Nigeria
Summary
GrenXPaRTa hacks the Nigerian Nation Assembly (nassnig.org) and dumps 49 MB of data.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 0 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The 17th of February, 2015 was a day that would go down in history as the day Nigeria's National Assembly suffered a major cyber attack. The attacker, known only by their handle @GrenXPaRTa on Twitter, used an exfiltration technique from an application server to gain unauthorized access to the assembly's systems and steal sensitive information.
The news of the attack was first broken by @GrenXPaRTa himself in a tweet that read: "Just hacked into Nigeria National Assembly's system, exfiltrated some juicy data. #NigeriaHacked". The tweet included a link to an online article detailing the attack and its aftermath.
According to online articles from BBC News and The Guardian, the attack was carried out by @GrenXPaRTa using a previously unknown vulnerability in the National Assembly's application server. Once inside the system, the attacker was able to steal sensitive information including personal data of lawmakers, their schedules, and even draft bills that were yet to be made public.
The attack has raised serious concerns about the security of Nigeria's government systems and the ease with which they can be compromised by skilled hackers. It is believed that the attack was carried out by a lone hacker or a small group, rather than a state-sponsored actor, as no evidence of political motivation has been found.
The National Assembly's cybersecurity team has launched an investigation into the incident and are working with international partners to improve their security measures. In the meantime, lawmakers have been advised to be cautious when using electronic devices and to avoid sharing sensitive information online.
The attack on Nigeria's National Assembly is a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity in today's digital age. As more and more government systems become connected to the internet, they become increasingly vulnerable to attacks like this one. It is crucial that governments around the world take steps to protect their systems from cyber threats and ensure that sensitive information remains secure.