By Milcah Tanimu

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), a prominent Nigerian commercial bank, has refuted claims that its website was taken over by hackers. This clarification comes just a day after the bank renewed its domain for another five years, extending its validity from August 13, 2024, to March 21, 2029.

There have been no official claims of responsibility from any hacker groups regarding the supposed breach. According to Peoples Gazette, there is speculation that the alleged attackers may have created a counterfeit version of the website to trick customers into disclosing sensitive information.

A cybersecurity expert familiar with the Nigerian banking sector suggested that the issue might involve the bank’s login credentials rather than the domain being stolen for resale.

Despite the reported website disruption, GTBank’s mobile applications on both Android and iOS were functioning normally at the time of reporting. A senior GTBank executive, speaking anonymously to Daily Post, clarified that the problem was due to a connectivity issue, not a hacking incident. The executive stated, “It’s false. What we are experiencing is a connectivity issue and has nothing to do with the alleged hacking.”