Government breaks silence after Sudan hackers attack crucial state websites
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Government confirms alleged Sudan hackers breached the security of crucial websites including eCitizen
Government confirms alleged Sudan hackers breached the security of crucial websites including eCitizen.
Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has confirmed there has been a cyber attack on government websites.
Speaking on Thursday July 27 during an interview with Spice FM, Owalo assured Kenyans that the government is actively addressing the matter.
“Oh yes! To me that was not strange because cyber-attacks are predominant world over.”
“There was an attack. We are addressing that, we are not just coming up with instant remedial measures to address the current situation, we will build an elaborate risk mitigation framework,” said Owalo.
The ICT CS provided reassurance to Kenyans on Thursday, July 27, stating that no data had been compromised after hackers launched attacks on crucial government websites, including eCitizen.
The ICT CS went on to explain that the attackers tried to jam the system to slow it down.
“They tried jamming the system by making more than ordinary requests into the system. It started by slowing down the system and we address it,” he explained.
“There is no cause for alarm, we have adequate resources to deal with cases of cyber insecurity,” Owalo added.
His explanation comes after Kenyans have raised valid concerns regarding data leaks, given that eCitizen serves as a comprehensive platform for all government services.
The CS revealed that the country is proactively addressing cyber insecurity by benchmarking with leading players on a global scale, such as Israel and India.
“We need to strategically communicate to the public and tell them what has happened, what we are doing, and the framework put in place to deal with such issues in the future,”
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“There is no cause for alarm, we have adequate resources to deal with cases of cyber insecurity,” he added
The CS revealed that the attack had been carried out by a group that identified itself as Anonymous Sudan.
This comes after details emerged online that Sudanese hackers are behind the cyber attack on Kenyan websites.
The hackers claimed that the attacks were carried out in protest to Kenya’s intervention in the affairs of their country.
Among the government websites that have been attacked is the ecitizen portal which is a one-stop shop for over 5,000 government services.
The Kenya Power and Lighting Company has also allegedly been attacked.
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