Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, has suffered a security breach that compromised its domain address, rendering its online platform inaccessible.
The incident, reported by customers late on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, left many unable to access the bank’s website, www.gtbank.com, with repeated login attempts returning error messages.
This disruption occurred just 24 hours after the bank renewed its domain name for another five years, extending from August 13, 2023, to March 21, 2029, according to various domain analysis platforms.
Cybersecurity experts familiar with the Nigerian banking sector suggest that the breach may have compromised the bank’s login details rather than the domain itself, possibly to facilitate a phishing scheme aimed at stealing customer data.
As of now, no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, it appears that the perpetrators created a fraudulent HTTP layer on the website to deceive users and obtain sensitive information.
GTBank customers, unable to conduct transactions through the compromised site, have taken to social media, particularly the platform X, to express their frustrations and concerns about potential data breaches.
In response, GTBank representatives have urged patience, directing customers to use a designated channel for their requests.
Despite the breach, the bank’s mobile infrastructure remains unaffected, with its iOS and Android apps still operational at the time of reporting.
