- Bank Assures Customers, Dismisses Video
By Hamilton Nwosa(Head Polling, research and data desk)
A Nigerian hacker, one Ihebuzo Chris has reportedly gained unauthorized access to Access Bank’s Customers database. Access Bank is one of Nigeria’s leading commercial and financial institutions with branches in various locations across the country.
Access Bank has also expanded into Kenya and some other African countries with growth projection anchored on its resolve to establish subsidiaries in 22 countries over the next five years.
Group Managing Director of the Bank, Herbert Wigwe who had revealed the Bank’s plan reportedly maintained that the growth drive is anchored on the bank’s policy of building upon its success.
According to him “ Access Bank is set to revolutionize the payment and banking landscape in Africa.” But the hacker in a video that has gone viral, showed to a surprised audience that he has the tools and dynamics to illicitly access the walls of Access Bank and gain unauthorized access to Access Bank’s customers data.
In effect, the hacker reportedly lopped through the technological walls and dynamics erected by Access Bank, spooking tension and anxiety among frightened customers-both institutional and personal customers.
The hacker who calls himself a python on Twitter reportedly procured illicit access and extracted the data of over 2,000 customers from the bank’s database of innocent customers.
In the reported video, the hacker showed the print out of the affected customers accounts details, a grave crime and serious ethical breach in various global jurisdictions.
Reports say Ihebuzor apparently didn’t plan to dip his hands into the till, going by the accounts in the video. According to the reports, he wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability of the Access Bank computers and database of customers.
In the video, the hacker professes that he hustled into the Bank’s customers database without the bank’s approval, blaming the financial institution for what he described as “loose security”.
Interestingly, on his Twitter handle, Ihebuzo professes to be a ‘python’, a software developer” ”with incredible capacity to undertake various daunting and fascinating goals.”
However, in its reaction, Access Bank maintained that the viral video of the hacker poses no threat to the integrity of its systems, and its customers across various jurisdictions.
“Criminals have posted pages purporting to contain customer account information. We’ve alerted law enforcement agencies and ask that you ignore the post. There is no threat to your account balances. Please. Continue to follow security protocol by never sharing your account details”, Access Bank declared.
