Nigerians have been advised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to be wary of their Internet activities, as cybercriminals advance their game in phishing attacks through use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
It said AI now allows attackers to conduct thorough research on victims and create personalised messages to trick them into releasing sensitive information.
According to the organisation, phishing attempts entail tricking people into opening a malicious email attachment, clicking on a dubious link, or disclosing private information like bank account details or usernames and passwords.
According to NITDA, these attacks may manifest as phishing emails, phone calls or text messages geared at exploiting individuals. The agency observed that user accounts are valuable targets for cybercriminals to access personal and organisational networks. Email-based phishing attacks have become the most common way for scammers to obtain credentials.
Read Also: Money Laundering: Binance To Pay Billions In US, CEO Resigns
It warned: ‘Lately, these bad actors have taken things up a notch by leveraging Al to improve the sophistication of their attack approaches. This involves using Al to conduct thorough research on potential victims and creating personalised messages to effectively deceive them into divulging sensitive information. This advanced approach shows how phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated and finding new ways to catch people off guard.’
Highlighting some measures to safeguard individuals and organisations, NITDA advised Nigerians to be careful about the emails they open and the links they click on.
It also urged the citizenry not to enter their personal information on any website they do not trust.
Besides, it appealed to Ondo State to equip citizens with digital skills for innovative entterprises.
NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, made the call when he delivered a keynote address, titled: ‘Tech-Forward Ondo’ at the Develop Ondo 2.1, a virtual summit, organised by the state’s Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations.
Represented by Acting Director, Corporate Planning and Strategy Department, Dr Aristotle Onumo, the DG advised the state to prepare its people for tomorrow’s jobs.