The Immigration and Citizenship Authority of Somalia (ICA) has confirmed an unlawful breach, targeting the data of individuals travelling to the country and who used its e-visa platform.
The admission from the Somali authorities follows a warning over the weekend from the American embassy in the East Africa nation.
The US warning stated that unidentified hackers had penetrated the e-visa system, potentially exposing the personal data of at least 35,000 people, including US citizens.
According to the embassy, leaked data from the e-visa platform breach contains personal information, including applicant names, photos, dates and places of birth, email addresses, marital status, and home addresses,
The ICA has since launched an investigation, by deploying a national-level team, including government agencies and accredited international experts. The agency noted in a statement that the probe seeks to determine the scope of the attack on its system, its source, and overall impact.
The agency went on to say that a comprehensive report related to the incident, detailing the findings of the investigation, the data involved, and the corrective measures undertaken, will be released once the inquiry is concluded.
“During this period, all individuals who may have been affected will be notified directly through official government channels,” noted the statement.
“The ICA deeply regrets this incident and reaffirms that protecting personal data is a fundamental responsibility. The ICA is enhancing modern data protection standards and multi-layer authentication across all its digital services,” concluded the statement.
Somalia recently approved a cyber-crime bill as part of its efforts to defend national digital infrastructure.
The bill focuses on preventing unlawful use of computer systems and modern devices, protecting confidentiality, security, and public morality, protecting the national economy and critical information infrastructure, and establishing rules and penalties in accordance with international and regional standards.
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