The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy has urged Kenyans to adopt proactive steps to safeguard their personal and organisational data.
This alert comes after the Kenya Business Registration Services (BRS) notified the Ministry of a potential data breach affecting the register of companies in Kenya.
In a statement on Tuesday, ICT and Digital Economy CS William Kabogo said that upon receiving this information, the ministry promptly assembled a multi-agency team to investigate the matter and prevent any further data exfiltration.
“The Ministry is actively collaborating with international cybersecurity agencies responsible for overseeing cyberspace governance to address and mitigate the issue effectively,” he said.
“We assure all stakeholders that the security and integrity of all government digital assets is a top priority. As a precautionary measure, we have strengthened our security protocols to safeguard our systems and prevent future incidents.”
On Sunday, BRS DG Kenneth Gathuma confirmed the data breach noting that upon receiving the information, they immediately activated their Incident Response Plan, launched a comprehensive investigation and notified the relevant regulatory authorities.
He affirmed that the organisation’s cybersecurity experts are working closely with their cybersecurity partner, law enforcement and investigative agencies to assess the scope of the incident, determine any potential impact and implement necessary containment and mitigation measures.
“At this stage, we are still verifying the details of the alleged breach including the nature and extent of any compromised data,” Gathuma said.
“Once the investigation is complete, we will provide an update and directly engage with any affected parties.”
Gathuma further assured all stakeholders that the security and integrity of the company registry remain the organisation’s top priority.
“As a precautionary measure, we have strengthened our security protocols to safeguard our systems and prevent future incidents. BRS remains fully committed to addressing this matter with transparency and diligence,” he added.
The ICT ministry further said that given the increasing risks in the evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility encouraging the public to adopt extra measures.
These include regularly updating passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication when possible, being cautious about sharing sensitive personal sensitive information online and verifying the authenticity of websites and emails to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks.
Kenyans have also been urged to ensure their devices have the latest security updates and antivirus software installed and regularly backup important data to secure locations.
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