Self-confessed Hacker, Chris Ihebuzo Arrested By EFCC

A self-confessed hacker who recently bragged on social media that he allegedly hacked into the database of Access Bank, stealing personal data of thousands of customers of the bank, has been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC, in a statement, said that the hacker was recently arrested in Benin, the Edo state capital for alleged cyber stalking following a petition received from Access Bank.

BIGPEN reported that Chris Ihebuzo had claimed that BVN, account numbers, personal information and “encrypted passwords” of the bank were compromised in the hacked server.

According to Ihebuzo, his motive was not to steal customers’ money but to expose how unsecured the Access Bank database was as at the time he hacked into the bank network adding that he could debit their accounts without their consent going by the information at his disposal.

The hacker in a video which has gone viral printed out customers’ accounts, including their BVN, account numbers, and other details.

According to the commission, the suspected “serial cybercriminal”, was picked up following a petition over his nefarious activities.

“The petitioner alleged that the suspect had, in an online video claimed to be in possession of some personal information and Biometric Verification Numbers (BVN) of over 1000 customers of the bank, which he claimed to have obtained after hacking into its database from his personal laptop computer.”

The statement further said that “upon arrest, the laptop used to upload the viral video was recovered, and a printout of over 2000 bank details, including the BVN of customers of the bank. 12 blank ATM cards were also recovered from Chris.” The ATM cards are suspected to be for “the perpetration of his alleged criminal activity”, it added.

The EFCC said that it is carrying out investigations to find other accomplices in the suspected crime. It also said Chris would be charged to court once investigations are concluded.

Recalls that Access Bank had in its reaction to the claims by the suspected, however, assured its customers of the safety of their money.

“Our attention has been drawn to some social media reports claiming a data breach of our systems,” Amaechi Okobi, Access Bank’s Head of Corporate Communications said.

“Access Bank herewith confirms that there is no cause for alarm. We would like to reassure all our stakeholders and the general public of the security and integrity of our banking platforms which at this time are the best-in-class.”

“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. Pls. continue to follow security protocol by never sharing your account details, Access Bank said.