Federal Government Denies Cyberattack On National Education Database

The Federal Ministry of Education has refuted reports alleging that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was hacked, maintaining that the platform remained secure and has not suffered any cyber intrusion.

Responding to claims published under the title “Suspected Cyberattack Hits FG’s Education Data Platform”, the ministry dismissed suggestions that the database had been compromised.

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the ministry described the report as inaccurate and misleading.

According to the statement, “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 further said the temporary warning message noticed by some users resulted from an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level, and not from any form of security breach.

It noted that the technical fault affected the platform’s secure access certification but did not lead to unauthorised entry, data loss, alteration of records, or exposure of sensitive information.

The statement added; “The incident was purely technical in nature and did not involve any unauthorised access to the system, data loss, data alteration, or exposure of sensitive information.”

The ministry added that its technical personnel worked jointly with the hosting service provider to resolve the glitch promptly once it was identified.

Following the intervention, it said normal operations were restored without delay, stressing that the platform continues to function securely and remains accessible to authorised users.

On public interpretation of system alerts, the ministry clarified that SSL certificate warnings in browsers should not automatically be taken as evidence of a cyberattack.

Citing technical context, it explained that such alerts can arise from routine configuration or maintenance issues and do not necessarily indicate malicious activity or system compromise.

The statement further referenced expert views cited in the report, noting that such opinions aligned with the understanding that not all security warnings point to breaches.

It also stated that ongoing safeguards include “robust security measures, regular system monitoring, infrastructure safeguards, and periodic security assessments” to maintain system integrity and reliability.