The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a fresh warning over a dangerous artificial intelligence-powered malware known as DeepLoad, revealing that the cyber threat is actively targeting Nigerian government agencies, financial institutions, businesses, and individuals.

The agency disclosed this in a critical advisory released on May 6 through its Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT.NG) and shared on its official X account.

The latest alert comes amid growing concerns over cyber attacks on Nigerian organisations, including banks and government agencies such as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

According to NITDA, DeepLoad is an advanced AI-enhanced malware designed to infiltrate systems, steal sensitive information, and evade traditional antivirus detection systems. The agency explained that the malware spreads through deceptive website prompts that manipulate users into executing harmful commands on their devices.

“The malware is distributed through a social engineering technique involving fake website error,” the advisory stated.

NITDA explained that once activated, DeepLoad silently embeds itself within infected systems and begins harvesting credentials and sensitive information from major web browsers.

“Once executed, DeepLoad silently installs itself, harvests stored credentials and sensitive data from major browsers, and leverages artificial intelligence to evade antivirus detection,” the agency said.

The agency further warned that one of the malware’s most dangerous capabilities is its persistence mechanism, which allows it to survive even after attempted removal.

“Critically, the malware incorporates a hidden WMI-based persistence mechanism capable of reactivating the infection up to three days after apparent removal,” NITDA stated.

The agency stressed that the severity of the threat requires urgent action from organisations and individuals across the country.

“Given its severity and confirmed active targeting of Nigerian entities, all organizations and individuals must implement the protective measures outlined in this advisory immediately,” it added.

NITDA noted that individuals, government institutions, small businesses, and large enterprises remain vulnerable to the rapidly evolving cyber threat posed by DeepLoad.

According to the agency, successful infections could give cybercriminals unauthorised access to bank accounts, mobile money platforms, payment cards, passwords, and sensitive personal information stored on web browsers. The stolen data could subsequently be used for identity theft and financial fraud.

For organisations, the agency warned that infections may lead to operational disruptions requiring full system isolation and remediation efforts. It also cautioned that attacks on government infrastructure could compromise classified networks and threaten national security.

To minimise risks, NITDA advised Nigerians never to paste commands from websites into their computers, noting that legitimate software providers do not request such actions. The agency also urged users to avoid opening suspicious files such as “Chrome Setup” or “Firefox Installer” from USB devices and to scan all external drives with antivirus software before use.

Additionally, the agency recommended enabling two-factor authentication on sensitive accounts and avoiding the storage of banking passwords directly on web browsers.

For organisations, NITDA advised immediate staff sensitisation on the DeepLoad threat, activation of PowerShell Script Block Logging on Windows systems, and regular reviews of browser extensions for unauthorised installations.

The advisory further recommended blocking malicious domains, including holiday-updateservice.com, forest-entity.cc, and hell1-kitty.cc, at firewall and DNS levels.

NITDA also urged organisations to inspect systems for hidden WMI Event Subscriptions that could allow the malware to survive standard cleanup procedures.

The agency said institutions that suspect infections should immediately disconnect affected systems from the internet, change passwords using clean devices, isolate compromised systems, activate incident response teams, and report incidents to NITDA within 72 hours as required by law.

The latest warning adds to mounting concerns over cyber attacks targeting Nigeria’s financial and digital infrastructure in recent months.

In April, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) warned about coordinated cyber threats targeting Nigeria’s financial systems and critical digital infrastructure, urging organisations to strengthen their data protection frameworks.

The warning also followed the commission’s investigation into an alleged data breach involving Remita Payment Services, Sterling Bank, and other entities.

Similarly, the Corporate Affairs Commission temporarily shut down its website between April 17 and April 20, 2026, following reports that about 25 million documents may have been exfiltrated during a suspected cyber attack.

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued an urgent alert regarding a critical security vulnerability found in the Google Chrome browser. The flaw, identified as CVE-2024-797, was recently discovered by Google and is reportedly being actively exploited by cyber attackers.

This vulnerability, classified as a “type confusion” flaw, is located in Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, which is crucial for processing JavaScript files. The flaw arises from the browser’s misinterpretation of data types, resulting in memory corruption.

Consequently, attackers could exploit this vulnerability to execute malicious programs on devices that have not been updated to the latest version of Chrome.Through its Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), NITDA has warned of severe consequences if the vulnerability is not addressed.

“The vulnerability enables attackers to potentially take full control of affected systems by exploiting memory corruption caused by the misinterpretation of data types. This could allow attackers to bypass security protocols, execute malicious code, and even cause system crashes. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered simply by visiting a malicious website,” NITDA stated.

To mitigate this threat, NITDA urges all Google Chrome users to immediately update their browsers to the latest versions: 128.0.6613.84/.85 for Windows and macOS, and 128.0.6613.84 for Linux. Users can check for updates by going to the Chrome menu, selecting “Help,” and then clicking on “About Google Chrome” to apply any available updates.

The agency also advises users of Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi, to apply the necessary updates as soon as they become available.

NITDA emphasizes that timely updates are essential to protect against potential exploits and ensure the security of personal and organizational systems. This warning is the latest in a series of alerts about escalating cyber threats targeting internet users in Nigeria and worldwide.

The increasing number of security advisories issued by cybersecurity agencies in recent months reflects the growing sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks.

Exploiting browser vulnerabilities has become a common tactic among cybercriminals to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information.As cyber threats continue to evolve, NITDA underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing proactive cybersecurity measures to safeguard against these ongoing risks.

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information and Technology Development (NITDA) has alerted Nigerians on REIGN, a spyware by Israeli QuaDream that targets iOS and other Apple mobile devices stealing users’ data.

QuaDream was founded in 2016 by Ilan Dabelstein, a former Israeli military official, and by two former NSO employees, Guy Geva and Nimrod Reznik. ‘Just like NSO, QuaDream sells a no-clicks-required exploit that hacks into iPhones and almost any other smartphone including Android ones without the need for phishing.’

The REIGN “functions in a manner similar to NSO Group’s Pegasus, granting its users full control of the device. Apple addressed the underlying defect in September 2021 and later sued NSO Group for abusing the exploit to attack iPhones with surveillanceware.

According to CERRT.NG, the cybersecurity arm of NITDA, the spyware exploits the zero-click vulnerability called ForcedEntry in iOS to take control of infected devices. ForcedEntry is a zero-click exploit used for targeting iPhone users.

“This vulnerability makes it possible for malicious software to be installed on a device without the user’s intervention. The victim doesn’t have to click on any link or download any application to facilitate the attack; the exploit works silently in the background”, said the CERRT.NG.

REIGN exploits a flaw in Apple’s software and exploiting the vulnerability in the iPhone’s iMessage app and other Apple Operating Systems (OS).

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The CERRT.NG has advised users of Apple devices to install the patched releases of iOS, IPadOS, macOS and watchos to checkmate REIGN as it has the capacity to take over recording, camera and microphone features in any infected Apple devices.

Also, the REIGN spyware can access contacts, emails, files, photos, and messages from instant messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram.

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