Data Breach at Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector
An unknown threat actor has targeted the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS) and posted its data on the hacker forum with sample images revealing lists of files, including backups and MySQL data. The NOGIC JQS website offers services such as registration of contractors in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, marine vessel registration, verification, databases for national skill development, categorization of marine support vendors, expatriate quota application management, tenders management, etc. This points towards the severity of the hacking and leaking of sensitive and critical data.
Currently, the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC) JQS portal is inaccessible and “under maintenance”. The website (nogicjqs.gov.ng) states that the application is undergoing updates.
The Nigerian oil and gas industry has been in the news over the oil theft controversy, price increase, and discovery of oil slicks in the Escravos river. As per reports, Nigeria is Africa’s primary oil provider and adds 1.2 million barrels of oil daily.