The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has made significant strides in the realm of digital security, emerging as a top performer at the recent Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Cybersecurity Hackathon.
The event, organised by ECOWAS in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, some of the best and brightest cybersecurity experts from across the West African region, aiming to foster collaboration and address rising cyber threats.
The DCG, ICT/Modernization Kikelomo Adeola noted that the event is being held in two phases. The competition, she explained, aims to identify the top cybersecurity teams in the region.
In Phase 1, participants engaged in an online Capture the Flag, CTF, competition via the Sec-Dojo platform, with labs released from August 6 to August 31, 2024. While Phase 2, scheduled for October 14-16, 2024, will take place in Abuja, Nigeria, featuring an in-person CTF competition designed to foster cross-border collaboration and assess advanced cybersecurity skills.
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“The NCS teams’ performance reflects their strategic thinking and resilience in tackling complex cybersecurity challenges,” she stated.
CSC Abubakar Mustapha Jauro, who led the NCS team competing against 340 teams from ECOWAS member states, added that the NCS secured an impressive 1,100 points, displaying notable expertise in cryptography, steganography, reverse engineering, web exploitation, and binary analysis.
Despite working with lower-spec hardware, such as Intel Core i5 processors with 8GB RAM, the NCS teams excelled by skillfully utilizing tools like Kali Linux, BurpSuite, and Metasploit.
Their success highlights the impressive technical expertise of the teams and emphasizes the potential for even greater achievements with improved resources and upgraded infrastructure.
“The ECOWAS Cybersecurity Hackathon has not only sharpened the skills of NCS officers but also emphasized the importance of regional collaboration in strengthening our cybersecurity framework,” Jauro noted.
With continued investment and support, the NCS is poised to play a crucial role in protecting Nigeria’s cyberspace.
As the second phase approaches, anticipation builds for the final leg of the competition, where the best teams will be identified and recognized for their cybersecurity prowess.
Credible News.ng
