Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) website is feared to have been hijacked by cybercriminals, leaving the platform unreachable for over 24 hours.
The Bank which is one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions, has been inaccessible, leaving millions of customers unable to conduct online transactions. The disruption began on Wednesday night, sparking concerns among users and cybersecurity experts alike.
The timing of the outage is particularly alarming, coming just a day after GTBank’s domain name was renewed for another five years. While no group of hackers has claimed responsibility, there are growing suspicions that cyber criminals may have compromised the bank’s domain, possibly exploiting vulnerabilities to create a fake HTTP layer aimed at phishing customer data.
A cybersecurity expert familiar with the Nigerian banking industry suggested that the attack might involve the bank’s login details being compromised rather than the domain itself being stolen for resale. This scenario could pose severe risks, as it could enable the attackers to access sensitive customer information and financial data.
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GTBank has yet to release an official statement, leaving customers frustrated and anxious. Many have taken to social media platform X to voice their concerns. While some believe it is an intentional action by the bank, other X users say the disruption is due to GTBank’s domain name renewal.
Meanwhile, with GTBank trending on X, representatives have been responding to aggrieved customers online by urging them to remain patient and directing users to alternative customer service channels.
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More on GTBank
GTBank, is renowned for its pioneering role in Nigeria’s banking sector. It was the first Nigerian bank to introduce online banking and has consistently won accolades for its financial products and customer service.
The bank has also been recognized for its contributions to corporate social responsibility, with initiatives that support education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. However, this recent incident underscores the growing threat of cyber attacks in the banking sector, highlighting the need for robust online security measures
