hackers - The African Mirror

May

2023

Senegal: Cyberattack on govt websites

A group of hackers called Mysterious Team made multiple Senegalese government websites go offline overnight by hitting them with denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, a government spokesperson said. The group claimed responsibility for the cyber attacks in a series of Twitter posts using the hashtag #FreeSenegal used by campaigners alleging political repression in Senegal. The attacks come at a time of heightened political tensions in Senegal. One person was killed on Friday in the latest violent standoff between state security forces and opposition supporters. In a statement about the cyber attacks in the early hours of Saturday, government spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana said all…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

Twitter launches competition to find biases in its image-cropping algorithm

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

TWITTER Inc said it will launch a competition for computer researchers and hackers to identify biases in its image-cropping algorithm after a group of researchers previously found the algorithm tended to exclude Black people and men. The competition is part of a wider effort across the tech industry to ensure artificial intelligence technologies act ethically. The social networking company said in a blog post that the bounty competition was aimed at identifying "potential harms of this algorithm beyond what we identified ourselves." Following criticism last year about image previews in posts excluding Black people's faces, the company said in May…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Hackers demand $70 mln to restore data held by companies hit in cyberattack

WORLD

RAPHAEL SATTER HACKERS suspected to be behind a mass extortion attack that affected hundreds of companies worldwide late on Sunday demanded $70 million to restore the data they are holding ransom, according to a posting on a dark website. The demand was posted on a blog typically used by the REvil cybercrime gang, a Russia-linked group that is counted among the cybercriminal world's most prolific extortionists. The gang has an affiliate structure, occasionally making it difficult to determine who speaks on the hackers' behalf, but Allan Liska of cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said the message "almost certainly" came from REvil's…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Watch out for hackers, Britain’s spy agency tells smart cities

AFRICITIES

UMBERTO BACCHI CITIES embracing technology to improve urban life risk falling prey to hackers, Britain's cybersecurity agency warned on Friday, urging local authorities to ensure smart cities are armed with digital defences. Criminals and foreign governments can target technologies deployed to improve city services such as sensors and internet-connected devices to steal sensitive data and cause disruption, said Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). "New digital technology is going to improve our lives and help protect the environment, but it is essential we take steps now to make connected places more resilient to cyber attacks," Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE-Suspected North Korean hackers targeted COVID vaccine maker AstraZeneca -sources

WORLD

JACK STUBBS SUSPECTED North Korean hackers have tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca in recent weeks, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the company races to deploy its vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. The hackers posed as recruiters on networking site LinkedIn and WhatsApp to approach AstraZeneca staff with fake job offers, the sources said. They then sent documents purporting to be job descriptions that were laced with malicious code designed to gain access to a victim's computer. The hacking attempts targeted a "broad set of people" including staff working on COVID-19…