The Office of the Prime Minister, has stressed that the integrity and strength of the cyber backbone of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) remain robust and secure.

At the same time, the Office of the Registrar General (ORG), formerly the Registrar General’s Department, has sought to assure that its cyber defence mechanisms were instrumental in limiting the impact of a recent cyber threat.

Some services offered by the office are unavailable temporarily as technical teams continue to carry out recovery measures.

The ORG operates under the management and control of NIRA, and has primary responsibility for the National Identification System (NIDS).

In a statement, the ORG said the cyber incident was detected on Sunday, August 24.

Initial assessment indicates that this incident was primarily designed to disrupt the availability of the system.

Upon detection, the technical team immediately activated established incident response plan.

This included containing the threat, launching a digital forensic investigation, notifying the relevant regulatory authorities and beginning the process of systems and operational recovery.

While no system is fool proof, ORG said it believes the robust security measures in place were instrumental in isolating the attack and limiting its impact.

However, as investigations are still ongoing to determine the full scope, some services may remain temporarily impacted or unavailable, as the team works diligently to restore full operations.

The ORG acknowledged that the disruption is an inconvenience to the many individuals and businesses who rely on services.

It said its committed to transparency and will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

The ORG said it takes the security of its systems and citizens data with the utmost seriousness.

Its added that its committed to learning from this event and continuing to invest in and strengthen defences to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Meantime, OPM said it has come to the attention of the NIRA that there are reports of a compromise to the national identification system.

It said NIRA states unequivocally that there has been no evidence of a breach or compromise of the national identification system.

It said the robust schedule of monitoring and security checks assures the NIRA of the integrity of the cyber systems, which remain secure.

The national identification system is built on a foundation of strong, multi-layered security, adhering to international best practices for data protection and security.

It said all personal data is stored in a highly secure, encrypted environment with stringent access controls and continuous monitoring.

OPM noted that NIRA has a zero-tolerance policy for any threats to the system, and protocols are designed to detect and mitigate risks proactively.

It said the NIRA assured citizens and stakeholders that their data is secure and that the integrity of the national identification system remains un-compromised.

It said the NIRA will continue to communicate with the public on this matter through its official channels.

The public is being reminded that under the National Identification and Registration Act 2021, national identification and civil registration databases are separate.