Some government websites were taken down on Monday morning by hackers, affecting public services across different ministries.
"Access denied by PCP", "We will rise again", "White power worldwide" and "14:88 Heil Hitler" are some of the messages one is confronted with while accessing some of the platforms.
No group has claimed responsibility.
The State is fighting to recover the websites even as public officials have been advised to avoid using the affected sites or report suspicious activities they detect online.
“Good morning, colleagues. Please note that we have detected a security breach affecting some government websites. Our cybersecurity team is working to contain the incident together with our stakeholders,” the ICT Authority text sent this morning states.
It added, “Kindly avoid accessing the affected sites, report any suspicious activity immediately to [email protected] or [email protected], and [email protected]. More updates will follow shortly.”
Some of the affected departments and ministries include Interior, Health, Education, Energy, Labour and Water and Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA).
Others include the Immigration Department, the Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the State House website, the Hustler Fund, the Government Press and Nairobi County.
In one of the websites, the hackers gave their address as pcp@Kenya $ Flat#6, 28 Victoria Park Road, Leicester.
A cyber attack is defined as an attempt by hackers to damage or destroy a computer network or system used by individuals, organisations or agencies, including governments.
It is also defined as a malicious attempt to gain unauthorised access to a computer, network, or digital system to steal, alter, or destroy data, or to disrupt its normal functioning.
The attacks are normally carried out by individuals or organisations for various motives, including financial gain, espionage, or causing disruption, and they can target everyone from individual users to large corporations and governments.
In 2023, Kenya was a target of a similar attack, which affected critical areas that include the e-citizen portal, where over 5,000 services are obtained.
