Government websites including Presidency goes dark after hackers’ breach
Several government websites, including that of the Presidency, president.go.ke, the official site of the presidency, were earlier today hacked and rendered inaccessible before being restored.
Other websites affected include those belonging to the ministries of Interior, Energy, Labour, Health and Education.
The defacement involved altering their visual appearance and content, replacing legitimate information with unauthorised material.
One could only read the encryptions that read: “Access denied by PCP”, “We will rise again”, “White power worldwide” and “14:88 Heil Hitler”.
The cybersecurity breach was confirmed by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo who accused a group – PCP@Kenya – of being behind the hack.
“This is to notify the general public that the situation has been contained and that the Government is monitoring the situation. However, members of the public are advised to take necessary precautions, remain vigilant and report any suspicious cyber threat activity to the National KE-CIRT, NC4 and DCI,” a statement from the PS said.
“This attack is in breach of Kenya and other international laws and conventions including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Kenya Information and Communications Act and the Data Protection Act and those found culpable shall face the full force of the law.”
The government urged institutions and the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious online activity, warning that cyberattacks violate the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Kenya Information and Communications Act, and the Data Protection Act.
Omollo assured that despite the attempted breach, the government remains committed to safeguarding national systems as it accelerates its digital transformation agenda.
Investigations into the identity and motive of the ‘PCP@Kenya’ group are ongoing with the government vowing prosecutions on individual found culpable.
