NITDA mandates DNSSEC implementation across all MDAs, to fortify national cybersecurity - ITREALMS,

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has mandated all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government to implement the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) architecture as a compulsory component of its cybersecurity assessment protocol, reports ITREALMS.

The announcement was made during a high-profile Cybersecurity Awareness Webinar held on Monday, organized by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) through its .ng Academy to mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, under the theme: "Securing Nigeria’s Digital Foundation: DNSSEC, the .ng Domain, and the Future of National Cyber Resilience."

Represented by Mr. Oluwasegun Falayan, NITDA’s Director-General, Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, stressed that adopting DNS security is non-negotiable given the current threat landscape, adding that the agency is committed to creating an enabling environment for DNSSEC to thrive.

“Security goes beyond just the physical, but also our private space must also be secured,” Falayan stated. “So we must lead, we must ensure that every .gov.ng is signed as much as possible, and we provide DNS as an inclusion in every security assessment that we do. So it's not enough to just have a domain, but it must be secured and must be signed.”

Setting the tone for the webinar, NiRA President Mr. Adesola Akinsanya drew attention to the necessity of prioritizing the quality, security, and integrity of domain names over mere volume.

While explaining DNS as the internet's fundamental phonebook, Akinsanya noted that DNSSEC introduces a vital layer of trust through digital signatures that allow validating resolvers to authenticate DNS responses and prevent tampering. However, he cautioned against improper configurations, warning that poorly implemented DNSSEC can render domains inaccessible to users whose resolvers validate signatures.

"Our priority must therefore be competence, coordination, and careful implementation, rather than adoption for its own sake," Akinsanya cautioned. He also clarified that while DNSSEC secures domain responses, it must work alongside other protective mechanisms, as it does not encrypt traffic, stop DDoS attacks, or protect against compromised registrar credentials.

Highlighting the urgency of robust cyber defenses, Akinsanya cited troubling data: Check Point reports indicate that the average Nigerian organization faced approximately 4,361 attempted weekly attacks in June, compared to a global average of 2,270. Furthermore, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) recorded digital payment fraud amounting to ₦25.85 billion in 2025.

Akinsanya pointed out to various stakeholders across the digital ecosystem that government bodies must audit active domains, ensure multi-factor authentication is enforced, and clarify emergency protocols for record modifications.

Regulators, he said, must formally embed the naming layer within upcoming cybersecurity frameworks and critical infrastructure plans. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must switch on validation protocols and keep resolvers properly patched. 

Registrars are urged to scale up adoption, noting that current figures require urgent improvement. Additionally, businesses and security professionals must actively verify domain-signing statuses, share threat intelligence, and combat the dangerous culture of under-reporting security incidents.

Echoing these security imperatives during a high-powered panel session, Daniel Onyekpeze, Head of Incident Handling at the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), proposed an Executive Order granting DNSSEC Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) status.

Additional expert perspectives were shared by Abubakar Mahmud, representing the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), who noted that massive data accumulation heightens vulnerability to data breaches. 

Meanwhile, SP Kuma Ikyereve of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) disclosed that phishing remains the leading reported cybersecurity threat, and CyberPlural Founder and CEO Lateef Hamzat observed a strategic shift by cybercriminals toward targeting foundational systems rather than isolated individuals.

Participants unanimously resolved that Nigeria must aggressively champion DNSSEC adoption as a free, indispensable resource to safeguard digital infrastructure, protect national data signatures, and secure the future of the .ng namespace.