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Tag: Cyberattack

  • 2024 polls: ACDT warns of potential cyberattack threat

    2024 polls: ACDT warns of potential cyberattack threat

    Africa Centre for Digital Transformation (ACDT) has issued a warning about potential cyber threats to Ghana’s upcoming December 7 elections, urging stakeholders to take immediate steps to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

    In a press release, the ACDT highlighted the increasing risk of cyber-attacks in Ghana, especially as digital systems play a crucial role in various aspects of Ghanaian society, including elections.

    ACDT urged the government to develop and regularly update incident response plans to swiftly address and mitigate any cyber incidents that may arise.

    Executive Director Kwesi Atuahene emphasized the critical role of cybersecurity in ensuring a secure, transparent, and credible electoral process in Ghana.

    “As we approach the 2024 elections, we must be prepared to counter cyber threats and protect the integrity of our electoral systems,” Mr. Atuahene said.

    Emphasizing the national significance of addressing these threats, the organization stressed the importance of securing the electoral process.

    The ACDT’s concerns are underscored by previous cyber incidents during elections in West Africa.

    In Nigeria’s 2015 and 2019 elections, cyber-attacks targeted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), attempting to breach databases and spread misinformation.

    Despite some compromises, INEC maintained that these incidents did not affect the overall election outcomes.

    Similarly, in Sierra Leone’s 2018 elections, cyber-attacks on the National Electoral Commission (NEC) aimed to disrupt voting processes and manipulate public opinion, prompting enhanced cybersecurity measures by the government to safeguard the electoral process.

    Referencing Ghana’s own electoral experiences, the ACDT noted incidents such as the 2016 cyber-attack on the Electoral Commission’s website, causing temporary disruptions.

    The ACDT is committed to supporting the Ghanaian government, the Electoral Commission, and all stakeholders in this effort, urging them to prioritize cybersecurity and work collaboratively to protect Ghana’s democracy from cyber threats.

  • Malawi’s immigration office hit by cyberattack

    Malawi’s immigration office hit by cyberattack

    Malawi stopped giving out passports because their computer system for immigration was attacked by hackers.

    President Chakwera told Members of Parliament that the government department’s targeting was a big threat to national security.

    He said that the hackers wanted money.

    The president said that the government won’t give in to what they want and is trying to fix the problem.

    “We don’t use public money to satisfy criminals, and we don’t negotiate with those who attack our country,” he said on Wednesday.

    Many young people in Malawi want passports because they want to move to other countries for work.

    Mr Chakwera said he told the immigration department to come up with a temporary plan and start giving out passports again within three weeks. This is until they can take charge of the system again.

    He said they would make a more secure plan that lasts a long time.

    For the last two weeks, Malawi has not been giving out passports because of a technical problem.

    Mr Chakwera said for the first time on Wednesday that the immigration system was “hacked,” but he didn’t say who he thought the hackers were.

    There is no other information about the cyber-attack, including how it could affect keeping personal data safe.

    Malawians want to know why it’s taking so long to get their travel document.

    This has happened before in the past few years.

    Last year, the government stopped giving out new documents because they ran out of passport booklets. An official said that the problem was getting worse because there wasn’t enough foreign money.

    There have been problems since 2021 when the attorney-general’s office ended a contract for passports with a company that had been providing the service, saying there were problems.

    Some angry people in Malawi have blamed the government for not processing applications on time and have accused them of being corrupt.

    Right now, if you don’t have a passport or your passport is expired, you can’t get a new one and you can’t travel.

  • Amnesty International Canada target of a Chinese associated cyberattack

    According to the rights group, it is publicising the attack to raise awareness of the dangers that civil society faces.

    Amnesty International’s Canadian office says its English-language unit was the target of a “sophisticated” hacking attempt that it believes is associated with China.

    The digital security breach was discovered on October 5 when suspicious activity was detected on Amnesty’s IT infrastructure, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International Canada on Monday.

    It also stated that it took immediate action to protect the systems and investigate the source of the attack.

    “As an organization advocating for human rights globally, we are very aware that we may be the target of state-sponsored attempts to disrupt or surveil our work. These will not intimidate us and the security and privacy of our activists, staff, donors, and stakeholders remain our utmost priority,” Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, said in a statement.

    The preliminary results of the investigation indicated the breach was perpetrated using tools and techniques associated with specific advanced persistent threat groups (APTs), Amnesty said.

    Forensic experts with international cybersecurity firm Secureworks later established that “a threat group sponsored or tasked by the Chinese state” was probably behind the attack.

    The forensic audit’s conclusion is based “on the nature of the targeted information as well as the observed tools and behaviors, which are consistent with those associated with Chinese cyberespionage threat groups,” it added.

    A report released in August by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said a hacking group known as RedAlpha, suspected of acting on behalf of the Chinese government, had conducted a years-long espionage campaign against numerous governments, think tanks, news agencies and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including Amnesty.

    Last year, the United States, United Kingdom and their allies accused actors affiliated with the Chinese government of a cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange, and blamed the Chinese government for a broad array of “malicious cyber activities”.

    Amnesty said it had decided to speak publicly about the attack as a warning to other human rights defenders on the rising threat of digital security breaches to their work

    “This case of cyberespionage speaks to the increasingly dangerous context which activists, journalists, and civil society alike must navigate today,” Nivyabandi said. “Our work to investigate and denounce these acts has never been more critical and relevant. We will continue to shine a light on human rights violations wherever they occur and to denounce the use of digital surveillance by governments to stifle human rights.”

    Amnesty said no evidence had been found that any donor or membership data had been taken.