The Ministry of Education has debunked alleged cyberattack on Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) database.
This is coming under the heels of a publication by The Guardian Newspaper titled “Suspected Cyberattack Hits FG’s Education Data Platform”.
The report had alleged compromise of the NEMIS database.
Reacting in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the education ministry refuted the alleged cyberattack, labelling the report as inaccurate and misleading.
Folasade explained that the temporary warning message displayed on the NEMIS data platform was a technical glitch.
“The Ministry wishes to categorically state that the report is inaccurate and misleading. At no time was the NEMIS platform hacked, breached, or subjected to any cyberattack. The integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data on the platform remain fully intact.
“The Ministry clarifies that the temporary warning message observed by some users resulted from an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level, which affected the platform’s secure access certification.
“The incident was purely technical in nature and did not involve any unauthorized access to the system, data loss, data alteration, or exposure of sensitive information.” She wrote.
Folasade noted that upon identification of the issue, the Ministry’s technical team, working in collaboration with the hosting service provider, promptly resolved the matter and restored normal service operations.
She reiterated that the technical issued does constitute evidence of cyberattack.
“The platform remains fully functional, secure, and accessible to all authorized users.
“It is important to note that browser security warnings or SSL certificate-related alerts do not, in themselves, constitute evidence of a cyberattack or data breach. Indeed, expert opinion referenced within the publication acknowledged that such alerts may arise from routine technical or configuration issues and should not be misconstrued as proof of malicious activity.” She said.
The ministry held that NEMIS remains an important digital platform supporting the collection, management, and utilization of education data within the sector.
“The Federal Ministry of Education continues to implement robust security measures, regular system monitoring, infrastructure safeguards, and periodic security assessments to ensure the reliability, availability, and protection of the platform.
“The Ministry further notes that the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) serves as the Federal Government’s flagship framework for strengthening education data governance, integration, accessibility, and evidence-based planning across the education sector.
“The continued integrity and security of platforms supporting this initiative remain a priority of the Ministry.” Folasade added.