The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned of an active, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered malware named DeepLoad targeting financial institutions and government agencies
The organisation warned that the new harmful malware is targeting Nigerian government agencies, financial institutions, businesses, and individuals.
In a tweet on its verified X handle, NITDA revealed that once the virus is executed, DeepLoad silently installs itself, harvests stored user credentials and sensitive data from browsers, evading antivirus software by leveraging AI.
NITDA further stated that upon infection, the malware can result in unauthorised access to bank accounts, mobile money services, and payment cards.
It reiterated that the malware also steals saved passwords, personal information, and documents.
It explained that these thefts enable criminals to impersonate victims for financial gains, disruption of public/private organisations’ workflow via document theft, and ultimately a threat to national security via the compromise of classified governance networks.
The agency outlined that the malware targets public and private institutions, Banks and Financial institutions, Critical infrastructure operators, and individual citizens using online banking and email.
The agency cautioned against pasting links and commands from untrusted websites into your computer or phone’s browser, as legitimate websites do not ask for such.
