‘China’ hacking attack on Kenya over debt is lesson for Nigeria

Chinese hackers have reportedly conducted a large-scale, long-term cyber-attack on multiple ministries and institutions within the Kenyan government, according to Reuters.

The attacks, supported by cybersecurity research reports and technical data analysis, were allegedly aimed at obtaining information on Kenya’s debt owed to Beijing.

The campaign spanned three years and targeted eight ministries and government departments, including the presidential office and the main spy agency.

– BackdoorDiplomacy

Like many other African countries including Nigeria, Kenya relies heavily on relatively affordable Chinese loans to fund infrastructure projects. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya obtained a temporary debt repayment break from China.

According to Reuters, quoting sources, a 2019 assessment of Kenya’s government-wide network breach confirmed sensitive documents were stolen from the ministries of foreign affairs and finance, suggesting a focus on the debt situation.

Kenya’s National Intelligence Service was also targeted, likely suggesting an attempt to gain insights into the country’s debt management strategy.

The hacking activity, attributed to Chinese state-linked hacking group “BackdoorDiplomacy,” targeted various government departments persistently. A recent breach of a shared Kenyan government webmail service indicates continued cyber espionage by the Chinese hackers, Reuters reported.

– Not unique

Kenya’s presidential office said the government faced frequent infiltration attempts from Chinese, American, and European hackers but said none succeeded. It said the reported attack was “not unique”.

China’s foreign ministry denied any knowledge of the hacking, while the Chinese embassy in Britain dismissed the accusations as baseless, saying that China opposes all forms of cyber-attacks and theft.

“China attaches great importance to Africa’s debt issue and works intensively to help Africa cope with it,” a spokesperson said.

– What’s in it for Nigeria?

Reuters sources said the hacking campaign demonstrates China’s willingness to leverage its espionage capabilities to safeguard its economic and strategic interests abroad.

The report would be seen as a lesson for Nigeria which has accumulated humongous amount of loans from China.

According to data from the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s debt to China totalled $3.9 billion by June 2022, about 83.6% of its total bilateral debt. Nigeria’s debt to China grew 136% between September 2015 and September 2020 to $3.3 billion.

The earliest of these funding agreements, tied to specific projects like railways, was signed in 2010. The loans have interest rates of 2.5% a year and a repayment period of about 20 years. The earliest maturity date is September 2030.

There is no indication so far Nigeria has come under any foreign hacking attack over its debts.