The eCitizen platform has been a target of cyber attacks in the past few days, according to ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo.
The attack is said to be perpetrated by hackers identifying themselves as ‘Anonymous Sudan’. Kenyans had earlier expressed concern due to the delays experienced when accessing the Citizen platform and the recently launched Gava Mkononi App. The Gava Mkononi App was unveiled last month when the government sought to digitize more than 5, 000 of its services.
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In a Thursday morning interview with Spice FM, CS Owalo stated that the system had experienced a cyber-attack and there were delays as the government had to take the appropriate measures to secure the online platform. He also said that a cyber attack was not a unique issue because it is common in this technological age all over the world. The CS claimed that in addition to developing solutions for the current problem, the government was also putting safeguards in place to stop potential attacks in the future.
In a series of Telegram messages shared online, a channel named Anonymous Sudan’, messages were shared as the hackers in the channel claimed responsibility for the ongoing cyber crisis. The hackers claim that the Citizen platform is just one of the Kenyan online platforms they have infiltrated. They also claim responsibility for delays in M-Pesa transactions as they say they have also hacked into Safaricom and KCB Bank’s systems as well as 100 other sites.
Among the services reported to have been paralyzed in the cyber-attacks are KPLC online services and the e-visa platform on eCitizen.
In response to claims of the eCitizen platform being hacked, the Ministry of Information, Communications, and The Digital Economy released a statement to address the claims. The two-page document dated July 27 reiterates the ICT CS statements saying that no data from the government’s system has been breached and they are working to provide more security to the platform.
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Considering the amount of Kenyans’ information on the eCitizen website, it would be disastrous if there was a hacking incident. The government has urged Kenyans to report any cyber incidents as they keep surveillance of the online platforms.
