Malawi immigration department hacked

LILONGWE. – Malawi’s government has suspended the issuing of passports following a cyber-attack on the immigration service’s computer network.

President Lazarus Chakwera told MPs that the targeting of the department amounted to a “serious national security breach”.

He revealed that the hackers were asking for a ransom.

But the president said the government would not give in to their demands and was working to resolve the problem.

“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 on Wednesday.

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

Mr 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.

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

Mr Chakwera only revealed for the first time on Wednesday that the immigration system had been “hacked” without mentioning who the hackers were suspected to be.