Millions of records affected as CAC suspends portal operations

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced a temporary shutdown of its company registration portal following a cyberattack that affected its database.

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the commission disclosed that the incident impacted millions of data points linked to businesses in Nigeria.

The agency described the situation as unfortunate and assured the public that efforts are already underway to resolve the issue and protect its systems from further threats.

According to CAC, the portal will be unavailable for a period of three days. The shutdown began on April 17 and is expected to last until the early hours of Monday, April 20.

During this time, individuals and businesses will not be able to carry out services such as company registration, name reservation, or filing of statutory documents on the platform.

The commission explained that the temporary suspension is necessary to allow for system checks, repairs, and upgrades aimed at improving security and service delivery. It also noted that the downtime coincides with a scheduled maintenance exercise designed to ensure the portal returns stronger and more secure.

CAC further revealed that it is working closely with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to investigate the cyberattack and implement measures to prevent a recurrence. This collaboration is expected to strengthen the resilience of the commission’s digital infrastructure against future cyber threats.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched a formal investigation into the data breach. The agency will assess the extent of the impact, determine whether data protection laws were violated, and recommend necessary actions to safeguard affected information.

CAC reassured the public that protecting users’ data remains a top priority. It urged stakeholders to remain calm and patient while efforts are being made to restore full services.

The commission added that normal operations will resume once the maintenance and security upgrades are completed, with improved safeguards expected to enhance user confidence in the system.