A record 860 million cyber attacks were launched against Kenya in the last 12 months, according to the country’s communications regulator.
According to the regulator, there has been a significant rise in “the frequency, sophistication, and scale of cyber-threats” aimed at Kenya’s vital information infrastructure.
Kenya experienced 7.7 million cyber attacks in 2017.
A high-profile cyberattack in July that was attributed to the pro-Russian hacking collective Anonymous Sudan disabled access to more than 5,000 online government services in the country, including renewals and applications for visas, passports, and driving licenses.
The attack also prevented mobile money transactions and online train reservations.
According to a report released on Monday by Kenya’s Communications Authority, 79% of the attacks recorded in the last 12 months were caused by cyber criminals infiltrating the computer systems of organizations.
Additionally, according to the regulator, 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.
After Nigeria and South Africa, the regulator claims that Kenya is currently the third most targeted country in Africa by cybercriminals.
Source-BBC
