Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a high-level cybersecurity advisory alerting the public to a sophisticated new AI-enhanced malware called DeepLoad.
According to the agency, the malware is actively targeting government agencies, financial institutions, businesses, and individual users across Nigeria. The advisory was released on May 6, 2026, through NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT.NG).
DeepLoad is distributed via social engineering tricks, particularly through fake website error messages that deceive users into pasting and executing malicious commands. Once inside a system, it silently installs itself, steals saved credentials and sensitive data from web browsers, and uses artificial intelligence to bypass traditional antivirus software.
One of its most dangerous features is a hidden WMI-based persistence mechanism that allows the malware to reactivate itself up to three days after users believe they have removed it.
NITDA warned that a successful infection could lead to unauthorized access to bank accounts, mobile money wallets, payment cards, and other sensitive information, potentially resulting in financial theft and identity fraud. For organizations, especially government bodies, it poses serious risks of data breaches and operational disruption.
Key Protective Measures Recommended by NITDA:
Never paste commands from websites into your computer (legitimate companies do not ask users to do this).
Avoid opening suspicious files (e.g., “Chrome Setup” or “Firefox Installer”) from USB drives.
Scan all external storage devices with updated antivirus software.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all important accounts.
Do not save banking or sensitive passwords in web browsers.
For organizations: Sensitize staff, enable PowerShell Script Block Logging, review browser extensions, and block malicious domains such as:
holiday-updateservice[.]com
The agency also advised checking for suspicious WMI Event Subscriptions and isolating potentially infected systems immediately.
This latest alert adds to recent concerns over rising cyber threats in Nigeria, coming shortly after incidents involving the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and warnings from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) regarding attacks on the financial sector.
Nigerians and organizations are urged to act swiftly on the recommended precautions to protect themselves against this evolving threat.
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