Chinese hackers targeted Kenya’s government in a three-year effort. The attacks were carried out to get information on debt owing to Beijing. China’s foreign ministry stated it was unaware of any such hacking, and China’s embassy in the United Kingdom termed the claims “baseless.” According to Kenya’s presidential office, the government has been subjected to “frequent infiltration attempts” by Chinese, American, and European hackers, although none have been successful. China places a high value on Africa’s debt problem and works tirelessly to assist the continent in dealing with it.
Ambitious projects to take on loan
Between 2000 and 2020, China provided over $160 billion in loans to African countries, the majority of which were for large-scale infrastructure projects. Kenya utilized Chinese loans totaling more than $9 billion to fuel an ambitious effort to develop or improve railroads, ports, and roadways. However, by late 2019, Chinese lending had dried up, exposing Kenya’s financial pressures. Chinese hackers launched a broad effort against Kenya in late 2019 that will last until at least 2022. Zambia had defaulted on its foreign debt by 2021, while Kenya had secured a temporary debt repayment moratorium from China.
According to Reuters, the NIS intrusion was likely intended to gather information on how Kenya planned to manage its debt obligations. The assault was carried out by the “BackdoorDiplomacy” hacking squad, which is tied to the Chinese government. BackdoorDiplomacy employs malicious software against its victims in order to get access to their networks and track their actions. China’s embassy in the United Kingdom denied any involvement in the Kenya hackings and declined to answer questions regarding the government’s link with BackdoorDiplomacy.
