Suspected cybercriminals have reportedly compromised the domain address of Nigeria’s banking giant, GTBank, leading to widespread customer concern. According to reports from Peoples Gazette, multiple attempts to access the bank’s official website, www.gtbbank.com, returned error messages as of 10:30 PM on Wednesday.
The security breach occurred just a day after the domain name was renewed for another five years, from August 13, 2024, to March 21, 2029, as confirmed by several online platforms that track domain information. The attack, which appears to have started on August 14, has not yet been claimed by any hacker group.
In what seems to be a phishing operation, the attackers are believed to have created another HTTP layer of the website, likely with the intent of stealing customers’ data. A cybersecurity expert with knowledge of the Nigerian banking sector suggested that the bank’s login credentials may have been compromised, rather than the domain address being stolen for resale.
GTBank customers have expressed frustration on social media platform X, reporting their inability to access the website for transactions. Bank representatives on the platform have urged customers to remain calm and to send their requests to a designated channel.
Despite the breach, GTBank’s mobile banking infrastructure remains operational, with Android and iOS-based applications still functioning as of the time of this report.
GTBank is one of Nigeria’s largest banks, serving millions of customers across Nigeria and other African countries. The incident has raised concerns about online banking security in the country.
