The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has warned that the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) by cybercriminals has introduced a dangerous new dimension to cybersecurity, necessitating a fundamental expansion in how organizations protect themselves.
Speaking on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the International Cybersecurity Conference in Abuja, Inuwa explained that advanced cyber threats require organizations to deploy equally sophisticated technologies to proactively anticipate, detect, and counter attacks.
He emphasized that cybersecurity and cyber resilience are complementary yet distinct, noting that while cybersecurity focuses on preventing intrusions, resilience ensures the capacity to recover swiftly after an incident occurs.
The NITDA DG noted that the growing sophistication of AI has made it imperative for organizations to extend their defensive strategies beyond computer systems and digital infrastructure straight to the human mind.
He revealed that cybercriminals increasingly exploit human vulnerabilities because manipulating people is often much easier than breaching heavily fortified technological systems.
The NITDA DG however noted that modern security frameworks must effectively defend against both direct technological assaults and behavioral manipulation tactics.
