The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, has said that digital transformation has made the education sector a lucrative target for cybercriminals.

Disclosing this at a two-day Multi-Stakeholders Sensitisation Workshop, on the Implementation of Nigeria's National Cybersecurity Strategy 2021, organised for the education sector by ONSA in Abuja, the NSA, who was represented by the Director, Policy and Strategy, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Amb. Amonu Lawal, said that the education sector globally, became the target of cyber-attacks, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when most transactions went virtual.

He said that the trend could be attributed to possible huge financial gains, adding that if the cybercriminals had known the financial gains, they would have tapped the education sector and avoided all the banks.

According to him, access to valuable data which serves as a treasure hub of sensitive data and personal information, including valuable propriety in research data, espionage on valuable data including intellectual property rights and disruption of education activities.

"For instance, in June 2020, the University of California in San Francisco, paid a ransom ware of 1.14 million dollars.

"Also, Birmingham College in the United Kingdom, was hit by cyberattacks, and over 20,000 students were denied access to their data in the school records.

"These examples demonstrate the criticality of the academia and education sector and the need to enhance our defence mechanism, the urgency to develop our capacity and collaborate towards secure cyberspace for improved productivity and efficiency," he said.