860 Million Cyber Attacks Reached Kenya In A Single Year.
According To Kenya's Communications Regulator, There Has Been A Startling Increase In Cyber Attacks, With an Astounding 860 Million Occurrences Reported In The Last 12 Months.
The increasing frequency, complexity, and scope of these cyber threats, which specifically target Kenya's vital information infrastructure, have alarmed the regulator. For comparison, Kenya saw 7.7 Million Cyber attacks in 2017, underscoring the sharp rise in the last four years. A prominent cyber attack in July was ascribed to the pro-Russian hacker Collective anonymous Sudan. In Kenya, this hack interfered with over 5,000 online Government services, impacting vital processes including applying for and renewing driver's license, passport, and Visa.
Mobile money transactions and internet train reservation systems were also rendered inoperable by the attack. A significant 79% of these cyber attacks were the consequence of criminals breaking into the computer systems of different enterprises, according to communications authority of Kenya. Cyber Criminals used malicious software in 14% of cases, flooded servers with traffic in 6.5% of cases to overload their infrastructure, and attacked online applications in the remaining cases.
Unfortunately, Kenya is currently the third most targeted Nation in Africa by criminals, after South Africa and Nigeria. This concerning pattern emphasizes the necessity of more stringent cybersecurity protocols to protect the Country's vital digital resources.
