By IJEOMA OLORUNFEMI

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has alerted Nigerians on increasing sophistication of phishing attacks on the internet.

Mrs Hadiza Umar, the Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, NITDA said this on Friday in a statement in Abuja.

Umar said that phishing attacks involved manipulation of individuals into opening infected email attachment.

This also involves clicking on a malicious link, or giving up sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords or bank information.

These attacks may manifest as phishing emails, phone calls, or text messages, aiming to exploit individuals through manipulation.

User account credentials are valuable targets for cybercriminals because they can be used to access personal and organisational networks, she said.

According to her, email-based phishing attacks have become the most common way for attackers to obtain user credentials.

She added that the bad actors had advanced by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), to improve the sophistication of their attack approaches.

This she said, involved the use of Al to conduct thorough research on potential victims and creating personalised messages to effectively deceive them into divulging sensitive information.

Umar listed some preventive measures for the public on the emails they open and the links they click on.

She advised Nigerians not to enter their personal information on any website which they suspect.

Umar urged Nigerians to use strong passwords, urging organisations and individuals to engage in continuous education and remain abreast of potential phishing threats.

The Director on behalf of the agency, urged Nigerians to report suspected incidents to relevant contacts like their Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT).

Also, she directed the public to reach out to their CERRT unit on the websitecerrt@nitda.gov.ngand +234 817 877 4580 or report towww.nitda.gov.ngandwww.cerrt.ng(NAN)