Cybersecurity – Page 2 – Africa Tech Digest

5Jun

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Cybersecurity, East Africa

Kenyan Government Website Hacked

A group of hackers known as the Kurd Electronic Team defaced Kenya's government related websites earlier on 1 June 2019. At the time of publishing some of the websites, like that of the National Youth Service, had been restored while others were still displaying the hacking group's message stating that they were responsible for the defacement. In some cases, Kenya's ICT Authority seemed to have regained control and put up a message that they are under maintenance. "Sorry for the inconvenience but we're performing some maintenance at the moment. If you need to you can always contact us. Otherwise we'll be back online shortly! - GoK Cyber Security Team" Hacktivisim or just mischief? So far, it is not clear what was the motive for the defacements. However...

South African voter details exposed on IEC website

The South African National Elections will be held on 8 May 2019, and voters have been encouraged to register online through the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) website. The online portal has not always been the most secure platform, however, and a security flaw revealed in 2017 allowed attackers to potentially manipulate the registration system. This week, MyBroadband was made aware of another security flaw affecting the IEC online registration portal – this time affecting those applying to vote from overseas. Citizens who wish to vote in the 2019 elections while overseas must inform the IEC of their intention and submit a VEC 10 application online. The VEC 10 application must be submitted through the elections registration portal before 13 March 2019 to be proce...

The Technology Space Is Rapidly Evolving in Africa, and It’s Not All Good News

The lack of technology policy and its poor implementation can lead to economic and political instability, and the effects of this are magnified in African countries with weak rule of law. One of the poorest countries in Africa is getting serious about going digital. In October, the Malawian government announced it would require businesses to offer options for digital payments in an effort to expand the digital economy and tax base. Like Malawi, many African countries now find themselves at the forefront of global conversations around how to compete in an increasingly digital economy and govern online spaces, but few are rising to the challenge of safeguarding digital rights in the process. Rapid population growth across the continent and the anticipation of millions of...