The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has alerted Nigeria on the cyber threats due to the 2023 general elections in the country.
The alert was contained in a report released by the Association, titled: ‘National Cyber Threat Forecast 2023’, it revealed that one of the main factors that are expected to influence the cyber threat landscape of 2023 is the general elections, Nigeria should brace up for a range of cyber threats that will be perpetrated by threat actors using a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedure.
According to the report, the threats will include large-scale propagation and potential weaponization, mis/disinformation, ransomware attacks, and phishing attacks, among others.
The report reads in part: “As experts and active stakeholders in the cybersecurity sector, we collected and analyzed data from various sources, including cybersecurity professionals in the country, incident reports, and 2021 and 2022 threat trends, to present our forecast of cyber threats for 2023”.
The report stated that, in 2022, the world saw a significant increase in the complexity and impact of cyber threats and Nigeria was no exception.
Oluwafemi Osho, the lead author of the study, categorized cyber threats as election-related threats and regular and emerging threats.
Osho advised that it is crucial for individuals to be vigilant and critically evaluate the information they come across, particularly during election periods, adding that, it is also vital for social media platforms and government agencies to take steps to address the spread of misinformation and disinformation, such as through fact-checking efforts and public education campaigns.
He disclosed that several factors will contribute to the predicted threats, including the upcoming 2023 general elections, the economic situation in the country, a lack of transparency in reporting security breaches, and a lack of coordination among organizations within the same sector.
“Other contributing factors include inadequate and inconsistent responses to cyber threats by government and regulatory bodies, outdated government computing resources, a lack of incident response plans in many organizations, a shortage and an increase in the emigration of cybersecurity professionals, and frequent strikes in higher education institutions,” he said.
On election-related threats, Osho stated that there will be a significant amount of misinformation and disinformation circulated through social media platforms in the run-up to, during, and after the 2023 general election.
“We are very likely to experience the weaponization of manipulated information to influence people’s perceptions and behaviours about the elections. This can seriously affect the integrity of the electoral process and undermine public trust in democratic institutions.
“Disinformation, specifically related to the elections, is likely to increase, with political parties potentially hiring foreign actors to create and disseminate false or misleading information. Nigeria had a taste of weaponized, coordinated propagation of disinformation during the 2019 general elections,” he stated
The report also forecasted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cyberinfrastructure will be targeted in the lead-up, during, and after the elections, adding that attacks will include cyber-based threats, such as the defacement of the INEC website and hacking of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as well as physical-based attacks, including arson and vandalism.
He said if the frequency of attacks and arson on INEC facilities from 2021 is anything to go by, INEC should be prepared for these types of attacks and have measures in place to protect its cyberinfrastructure to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
