Kenya’s communications regulator has said that the country experienced a record 860 million cyber-attacks in the last 12 months.
The regulator said that “the frequency, sophistication and scale of cyber-threats” targeted at Kenya’s critical information infrastructure had increased dramatically.
In 2017, Kenya experienced 7.7 million cyber attacks.
In July, a high-profile cyber attack attributed to the pro-Russian hacking group Anonymous Sudan cut off access to more than 5,000 online government services in the country, including visa, passport and driving licence applications and renewals.
The attack also disabled online train booking systems and mobile money transactions.
The Communications Authority of Kenya on Monday said that 79% of the attacks recorded in the last 12 months were caused by cyber criminals infiltrating the computer systems of organisations.
The regulator also said that 14% of the attacks involved malicious software, 6.5% involved cybercriminals flooding servers with traffic to overload their infrastructure and the remaining attacks targeted web applications.
According to the regulator, Kenya is now the third most-targeted country by cyber criminals in Africa, after Nigeria and South Africa.
Latest Stories
-
Qantas fined $90m for illegal layoffs during pandemic
28 minutes -
Novelist Sally Rooney says she will support Palestine Action despite ban
40 minutes -
‘I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy’, says Helen Mirren
51 minutes -
Washington talks could prove more vital for Ukraine’s future than Trump-Putin summit
1 hour -
T-bills: Government fails to meet target for second week running
2 hours -
Bamako hosts premiere of groundbreaking documentary “Reparations: The Colonial Debt”
2 hours -
Ghana’s poor score in ‘B-READY’ impedes private sector investments – World Bank
3 hours -
Foreign investors’ debt holdings fell to GH₵13.4bn in 2024 – Report
4 hours -
Police arrests teen for allegedly stealing three tricycles
4 hours -
Driver jailed over cutlass attack in piglet dispute
5 hours -
Hairdresser granted GH¢150K bail over TikTok threats against Mahama, First Lady
5 hours -
Air Canada delays return to flights after union defies government order
5 hours -
Huge crowds gather in Israel calling for hostage deal and end to Gaza war
5 hours -
More than 200 missing in flood-hit district in Pakistan, official says
5 hours -
Putin agreed to ‘robust’ security guarantees for Ukraine, says US envoy
6 hours