African States Quick To Adopt Network Surveillance

Governments in Sudan, Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia are the latest to deploy sophisticated network eavesdropping tools against their citizens. 

Uganda has been using a surveillance program, codenamed Fungua Macho, or “open eyes” in Swahili, to spy on opposition politicians and anyone “deemed dangerous to state security,” according to an investigation by Privacy International and BBC Newsnight. Policy documents dating back to 2012 detail the use of the security software called Finfisher and 70 intelligence officers to collect data on potential threats, although Ugandan authorities deny the operation’s existence.

Uganda isn’t alone. African countries are entering the world’s newest arms race, for cyber weapons and surveillance, at a rapid clip. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, an estimated 29 countries around the world now have formal or military units dedicated to cyber warfare, and 63 countries have used cyber surveillance on their own citizens or abroad. Of those, four were in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ethiopia
Ethiopian authorities are suspected of using off-the shelf hacking software to spy on journalists and members of the Ethiopian diaspora living in the United States and Europe. An American citizen who was born in Ethiopia filed a lawsuit against the government claiming his Skype (pdf) have been monitored and recorded by Ethiopian authorities.
CitizenLab, a watchdog group that is part of Canada’s Munk School of Global Affairs, believes that at least some of the attacks were done by the Ethiopian. Hacking Team, the Italian provider of “offensive security technology” that sold software to Ethiopia, says they stopped providing their service last year.
Within Ethiopia, the government’s control over the telecom sector means that it has easy access to the phone records of citizens, according to Human Rights Watch. A former opposition party member told last year, “They showed me a list of all my phone calls and they played a conversation I had with my brother. They arrested me because we talked about politics on the phone. It was the first phone I ever owned, and I thought I could finally talk freely.”

Nigeria
News reports last year claimed the government had completed a $40 million contract with an Israeli company for a surveillance system. Citizen Lab also found evidence of US and UK-developed monitoring software in Nigeria in 2013. Privacy advocates say that Nigeria has alack of detailed privacy laws and that its citizens are thus vulnerable to monitoring by their government as well as foreign ones.

South Africa
Policy documents dated 2006 revealed procedures for electronic, as well as physical, surveillance of individuals in the country were made public earlier this year. Authorities said last year that, “South Africa requires the protection of its cyber-domain, through…a comprehensive information”. Critics say South Africa’s secretive is at the center of the country’s surveillance programs and operates above the law.

Sudan
In 2011, Sudan established the Cyber Jihadist Unit, using equipment developed in Italy, to monitor political opposition figures and journalists, according to Citizen Lab. Last year, the head of the National Assembly’s communications committee said that surveillance of phone calls would stop but critics say it has continued.

DefenseOne:

« US Drone Registry Set Up In Response to Safety Concerns
NATO Forces Shoot Down a Russian Drone Over Turkey. »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

Watch this webinar to hear security experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SANS break down the myths and realities of what an NGFW is, how to use one, and what it can do for your security posture.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research

Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research

The ACE-CSRs scheme is part of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy, working with academia and industry to make the UK more resilient to cyber attacks.

Athena Forensics

Athena Forensics

Athena Forensics is one of the UK's leading providers of Computer Forensics, Mobile Phone Forensics, Cell Site Analysis and Expert Witness Services.

HID Global

HID Global

HID Global is a trusted leader in products, services and solutions related to the creation, management, and use of secure identities.

Orange Cyberdefense

Orange Cyberdefense

Orange Cyberdefense is the expert cybersecurity business unit of the Orange Group, providing managed security, managed threat detection & response services to organizations around the globe.

Deep Instinct

Deep Instinct

Deep Instinct provides comprehensive defense that is designed to protect against the most evasive unknown malware in real-time, across an organization’s endpoints, servers, and mobile devices.

Massive Alliance

Massive Alliance

Massive is a global service agency providing internet monitoring, data & security threat surveillance and reputation management.

Future of Cyber Security Europe

Future of Cyber Security Europe

Future of Cyber Security Europe is a European wide event examining the latest cyber security strategies and technologies.

Cybercrime Investigation & Coordinating Center (CICC)

Cybercrime Investigation & Coordinating Center (CICC)

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is an attached agency of the Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Osirium

Osirium

The Osirium PxM Privileged Access Management platform addresses both security and compliance requirements by defining who gets access to what and when.

GBT Technologies

GBT Technologies

GBT Technologies is a technology company focused on chip design and software to enable IoT, global mesh networks, and for applications relating to artificial intelligence.

Phakamo Tech

Phakamo Tech

Phakamo Tech offers a full set of governance, risk, compliance, cybersecurity and Microsoft Cloud services that include consulting, planning, implementation and cyber incident response.

Anthony Timbers LLC

Anthony Timbers LLC

Anthony Timbers is a cybersecurity consulting and penetration testing firm providing services to the Federal and Commercial sectors nationwide.

Symmetry Systems

Symmetry Systems

Symmetry Systems is a provider of data store and object-level security (DSOS) solutions that give organizations visibility into, and unified access control of, their most valuable data assets.

C2 Risk

C2 Risk

C2 Risk are focussed on risk analytics for information assurance, privacy and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance).

Theta

Theta

Theta is a New Zealand owned technology consultancy. Our team of over 330 experienced professionals help organisations transform with technology.

RIIG Technology

RIIG Technology

Our mission is to empower organizations with high-quality, verifiable data and advanced intelligence solutions, ensuring robust security and effective risk management.