INEC, DSS probe unauthorised access of CVR database

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced investigation on the alleged unauthorised access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database and the subsequent publication of information on a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) of INEC, Mohammed Kudu Haruna stated this on Tuesday in a statement.

The development was connected to an aide of a minister who on his social media handle pubished some details of an aspirant who was formerly a registered voter in a state before transferring his registration to another recently.

This led to some public comments accusing INEC of compromise and favouritism.

Haruna however, in a push-back said that the commission takes the allegation seriously and has immediately commenced a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident.

He explained that as part of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide, authorised INEC Registration Officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system to enable them register new applicants, process requests for transfer of registration and update voter records where necessary.

According to him, such access is restricted to official duties only and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise.

He assured that preliminary findings from the commission’s audit trail so far, however, indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure and that the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.

He also said that the Department of State Services (DSS) has launched a separate investigation of matter.

“The audit trail from the preliminary investigation has enabled the Commission to identify the user account through which the information was accessed.

“Accordingly, relevant personnel have been questioned, and all units connected with the incident are cooperating fully with the investigation.

“The Commission is also examining all technical, administrative and operational factors associated with the matter in order to establish individual responsibility and determine the circumstances surrounding the use of those credentials and identify any breach of internal access-control protocols before taking appropriate action against anyone involved.

“Preliminary findings from the Commission’s audit trail so far, however, indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure. Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority,” Haruna said.

He, however, said that the incident under investigation relates to the retrieval of a specific voter record and does not indicate any compromise of the commission’s broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters.

He said, ” The Commission wishes to state categorically that it takes the security, confidentiality and integrity of voter data with the utmost seriousness and remains committed to transparency, institutional integrity, and the protection of voters’ personal information.

“Furthermore, the Department of State Services (DSS), on its own accord, has commenced an independent investigation into the matter. The Commission will continue to cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to refer any person found culpable for appropriate legal action.

“Members of the public and the media are therefore urged to disregard unfounded speculations while investigations remain ongoing. The Commission will continue to keep the public informed of its final findings and any measures taken in response to the incident in due course.”