The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has demonstrated exceptional performance at the ECOWAS Cybersecurity Hackathon 2024, emerging as a top contender in the competition.
The event, organised by ECOWAS in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), brought together cybersecurity professionals across West Africa.
DCG, ICT/Modernisation Kikelomo Adeola, stated that the event is being held in two phases. The competition, she explained, aimed to identify the top cybersecurity teams in the region.
In Phase 1, participants engaged in an online Capture the Flag (CTF) competition via the Sec-Dojo platform, with labs released from August 6 to August 31, 2024.
Phase 2, scheduled for October 14-16, 2024, will take place in Abuja, Nigeria, featuring an in-person CTF competition designed to foster cross-border collaboration and assess advanced cybersecurity skills.
“The NCS Team’s performance reflects their strategic thinking and resilience in tackling complex cybersecurity challenges,” DCG Adeola stated.
CSC Abubakar Mustapha Jauro led the NCS Team competing against 340 teams from ECOWAS member states.
He disclosed that the NCS Team secured an impressive 1,100 points, displaying notable expertise in cryptography, steganography, reverse engineering, web exploitation and binary analysis.
Despite using lower-spec hardware, such as Intel Core i5 processors with 8GB RAM, members of the NCS teams excelled with tools like Kali Linux, BurpSuite and Metasploit.
The success of the NCS Team members underscored the need for better resources to further enhance their technical capabilities.
“The ECOWAS Cybersecurity Hackathon has not only sharpened the skills of NCS officers but also emphasised the importance of regional collaboration in strengthening our cybersecurity framework,” Jauro noted.
It was noted that, with continued investment and support, the NCS was poised to play a crucial role in protecting Nigeria’s cyberspace.
As the second phase approaches, anticipation builds for the final leg of the competition, where the best teams will be identified and recognised for their cybersecurity prowess.
