Cyber in Senegal; Mauritania restricts internet access; Anonymous Sudan asks for $3 million
and more infosec updates from Africa
CybAfriqué is a weekly newsletter covering news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.
Cyber in the Senegal Unrest
The civil unrest in Senegal has been highlighted with internet shutdowns and cyberattacks targeting government websites, adding a new dimension to the already complex socio-political situation in the country.
In a bid to curtail what its describing as “the dissemination of subversive and hateful messages in a context of public disorder,” the Senegalese government is restricting access to social media and the internet. Since June 1, access to Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms has been limited, and mobile internet has been shut down at specific intervals. This not only hampers communication between people but also restricts access to vital information and exacerbates the sense of isolation during this period of unrest. The internet has become an essential tool for people to connect, gather information, and share their perspectives, making its shutdown a significant concern in terms of human rights and freedom of expression.
The clampdown has also raised concerns about potential business losses. As reported by African Business, the shutdown threatens various sectors, including e-commerce, online services, and financial transactions.
In addition to the internet shutdown, Senegal has also experienced cyberattacks targeting government websites. Senegalese government websites were earlier hit with DDoS attacks by the “Mysterious Team” – a relatively unknown hacker group which is also responsible for similar DDoS attacks on the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s website.
In May, weeks of political tension finally broke into civil unrest in Senegal. Ousmane Sonko, the leading opposition was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “corrupting the youth” after he was acquitted of rape charges earlier raised against him. This move, according to the young supporters of Sonko, is politically-motivated and meant to stop Sonko from participating in the 2024 elections.
Clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators have led to at least fifteen deaths, according to official figures.
Mauritania cuts off mobile internet
The escape of four prisoners in Mauritania caused an internet shutdown and disruptions to mobile internet services, which have raised concerns about human rights violations and the freedom of expression in the country. It also earned the Mauritanian government a spot on the defaulter list on the July 2021 UN Human Rights Council resolution on promoting human rights on the internet and condemning internet shutdowns. Four other African countries are on this list of fourteen countries, according to Surfshark: Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Nigeria. Sudan is in for at least nine restrictions; Burkina Faso is in for four, including a still-ongoing restriction on Facebook; Nigeria is in for its daily famous 2021 ban of Twitter, which started a month before the resolution was signed.
Somalia is also an honorable mention, for an internet blackout that happened after the parliament voted to remove the country’s prime minister in July 2020, a year before the resolution.
In 2019, internet access was completely shut down in Mauritania following a disputed election. Once again, the denial of internet access during times of political turmoil severely restricts the flow of information and impedes the democratic process. Restricting mobile internet access curtails the ability of individuals to share real-time updates and potentially hampers the monitoring of human rights abuses or security incidents.
Anonymous Sudan asks for $3 million
Anonymous Sudan, the purportedly Sudanese but evidentially Russian cyber activism group is asking for a ransom of $3 million from The Scandinavian Airlines, whose website it has held captive with DDoS attacks for almost a week. Anonymous Sudan just increased the ransom from $3,500 to $3 million.
The attacks began in January after a demonstration in Stockholm led to the burning of the Quran. Anonymous has also attacked or attempted to attack other entities they perceive as anti-Muslim, including the Indian, German, Danish, and especially Israeli governments.
Big picture stuff
According to Kaspersky, spyware attacks on organizations in these three African countries increased in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the last quarter of 2022.
France24 reports that disinformation targeting the LGBTQ community is on the rise in East Africa, triggered by the passage of an homophobic bill in Uganda, which is in turn fueled by populist politics.
Headlines
The Nigerian retail crypto trading platform, Patricia, was hacked in 2022 and is now taking action against the attackers. - TechCabal
Ghana's Vice President has commissioned a state-of-the-art cybersecurity infrastructure for the country's financial industry. - Zawya
A group of South African retail stores, including Incredible Connection, HiFi Corp, and Everyshop, may have suffered a data breach. - MyBroadband
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) is prosecuting 56 websites for leaking examination questions and enabling malpractice. - Nairametric
Eight suspects in Mauritius have been imprisoned over alleged involvement in mobile money scams. - Le Matinal
The seventh edition of Tunisia's hackfest, a national cybersecurity competition, is scheduled to start on June 24th. - Cybersecurity Magazine Africa
Tanzania and Uganda are partnering to strengthen their optic fiber infrastructure - Dailynews Tanzania. ).
Chart of the Week:
Quote of the week
They have hacked almost all the fintech in Nigeria by now. Court orders flying up and down. You don't build fintech security on 6 months bootcamp experience.
- Mark Essien, software developer and founder of Hotels.ng
Across the World
Bipartisan U.S. Senators are proposing to expand the scope of The Abraham Accords to include cybersecurity. - The Record
Post Note
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