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Kenya hit by over 70,000 web app attacks in 3 months

The majority of the attacks were targeted at government systems

By Ibrahim Omar | 03 Feb 2024

The web application attacks were targeted at systems regarded as holding sensitive data, such as user credentials used to authenticate systems, financial data, and public services.

The government detected 72,536 hacking attempts on web applications in Kenya in the three months between October and December 2023, according to fresh data.

A report released by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team-Coordination Centre (National KE-CIRT/CC) detected the attempts on web applications targeting critical infrastructure service providers.

The National KE-CIRT/CC, which is based at the CA Centre Nairobi, comprises staff from CA and law enforcement agencies such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The team is mandated to detect, prevent, and respond to various cyber threats targeted at the country on a 24/7 basis and also receives reports of cyberthreats from individuals and firms for action.

A web application is software that runs in a user’s web browser and enables them to exchange information and deliver or access services such as digital banking remotely.

Common web applications include Facebook, YouTube, digital banking platforms, utility platforms, and government services platforms such as eCitizen.

"The majority of the attacks were targeted at government systems,” said CA.

Hackers often target government systems due to the perception that they are comparatively weaker than those of private firms.

According to CA, the web application attacks were targeted at systems regarded as holding sensitive data, such as user credentials used to authenticate systems, financial data, and public services.

It further added that the objectives of the hackers were mainly to make services unavailable, manipulate databases, and release sensitive data for the purposes of damaging organisations’ reputations.

“Attackers targeted user login credentials, vulnerable web browsers, and database servers belonging to governments and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Most attackers exploited vulnerabilities in SSL and TLS security misconfigurations,” said CA.

The hacking attempts on the web applications, however, marked a decline of 31.96 percent compared to those that were detected in the previous quarter between July and September.

Kenya was on the receiving end of a major cyberattack attempt in July last year targeting the eCitizen portal. The hack rendered more than 5,000 government services on eCitizen unavailable for hours as officials scrambled to contain the attack and restore services.

Some of the services that were affected include the renewal of driving licences from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), business registration, e-visa application, civil registration, police clearance, and tax payment.

CA has, however, given some tips to firms on how they can mitigate cyberattacks on their web applications.

“To mitigate this risk, the National KE-CIRT/CC recommended the following actions to affected organisations: disabling SSL 3.0 support in system and application configurations; upgrading end-of-life (EOL) products; and applying the relevant patches and updates as provided,” it said.