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Kenya Presidential Website Hacked, Attackers Demand Bitcoin Ransom
Kenya’s official presidential website was compromised on Saturday in a cyberattack that temporarily replaced its homepage with a message demanding a ransom of five Bitcoin, highlighting ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities within government digital infrastructure.
The attackers defaced the presidency’s official portal, president.go.ke, posting a cryptocurrency wallet address and threatening to release unspecified information unless the ransom was paid.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo confirmed the breach, saying government cybersecurity teams had been deployed to investigate and contain the incident.
“Our cyber team is on top of the situation,” Kabogo said.
State House separately confirmed that its Information and Communication Technology team was working to restore the website and determine the scope of the intrusion.
By Saturday afternoon, the defaced homepage had been removed and the website was taken offline as authorities worked to restore services.
Officials did not immediately indicate whether sensitive government data had been accessed or whether the breach was confined to the website’s public-facing interface. The extent of the intrusion remains under investigation.
The attack underscores the growing cyber threats facing public institutions across Africa, with Kenyan government agencies having experienced multiple attempted and successful cyber intrusions in recent years. The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of cybersecurity preparedness as governments across the region continue expanding digital public services.
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