NITDA Launches 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched the 2026 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, urging Nigerians, businesses and institutions to strengthen their digital security practices.

The month-long campaign, themed “Together for a Safer Cyberspace,” is aimed at raising awareness about emerging cyber threats and promoting shared responsibility for protecting Nigeria’s digital environment.

NITDA said the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and automated systems has changed the nature of cyber threats, with emerging risks including AI-driven social engineering, deepfake impersonation, voice cloning and fraudulent QR-code attacks, also known as “quishing.”

The agency advised Nigerians to use strong and unique passwords, enable multi-factor authentication and regularly install software and security updates to protect their devices and online accounts.

NITDA also warned people against sharing sensitive information such as one-time passwords, PINs and online banking details. It advised users to verify suspicious links, attachments and unsolicited requests before responding to them.

The agency further cautioned Nigerians against uploading sensitive personal, financial or confidential business information to public artificial intelligence platforms or unfamiliar online services.

NITDA said people should also keep important personal and organisational data backed up offline and in the cloud to aid recovery in the event of ransomware attacks or other disruptions.

The agency said its computer emergency response structure would continue to provide cybersecurity awareness, incident-response support and guidance to citizens and organisations.