Malawi's Passport System Breached

Uploaded on 2024-03-05 in NEWS-Cybersecurity News, FREE TO VIEW, TECHNOLOGY--Hackers

For the past three weeks, Malawi has not been issuing passports for what officials said was "a technical glitch".

Now,the government of Malawi has taken the drastic step of suspending the issuance of passports following a cyber attack on the immigration service’s computer network. President Lazarus Chakwera informed Members of Parliament that the cyber attack constituted a grave national security breach, disclosing that the hackers are demanding a ransom.

President Chakwera acknowledged Malawians' unhappiness with the inability to obtain passports, but rejected Sulema's proposal for a cabinet reshuffle, citing a lack of comprehension of the situation. He said the hackers are demanding a ransom, but the Malawi government has no intention of paying as it refuses to "appease criminals" or negotiate "with those who attack our country... We are not in the business of appeasing criminals with public money, nor are we in the business of negotiating with those who attack our country," he said.

This is not the first time the country has had to suspend issuing passports, but this recent pause comes at a time when demand for passports is high, with many citizens migrating for employment opportunity reasons. Last year, the government paused giving out new documents after running out of passport booklets, with an official saying that the problem was being worsened by a shortage of foreign currency.

There have been issues since 2021 when the attorney-general's office terminated a passport contract with Techno Brain, which had been the supplier of Malawi’s passports since 2019, a company that had been offering the service, citing irregularities.

Demand for passports is high in Malawi with many young people looking to migrate in search of job opportunities.

President Chakwera said he had given the immigration department three weeks within which it should provide a temporary solution and resume the issuing of passports, while waiting to regain control of the system. He said a long-term solution with additional security safeguards would be developed. Mr Chakwera only revealed for the first time that the immigration system had been "hacked" without mentioning who the hackers were suspected to be.

No other details have been given about the cyber-attack including the possible implications in terms of personal data security.

Some frustrated Malawians have in the past faulted the government over the continued backlog of applications amid allegations of corruption. Righ now, anyone who does not have a passport or whose passport has expired cannot acquire a new one and therefore cannot travel.

Director general of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Charles Kalumo, acknowledged citizens' concerns, but was unable to propose a date for passport issuance to resume.

Image: David_Peterson

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