[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]A cyberattack claimed by the Anonymous hacking group knocked out dozens of government websites in Senegal for the second day on Saturday, escalating tensions nine months before a presidential election.
The @MysteriousTeamO account, purportedly belonging to the hacker group Anonymous, claimed on social media that it had targeted websites run by the presidency and those using government domains, including the defence and health ministries.
It also claimed to have harmed the national airline Air Senegal’s website.
The majority of the affected sites were back online by Saturday afternoon, but access to others remained intermittent.
Also Read: Hackers Can Disable Fingerprint Unlocking on Phones Within Hours.
According to NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring service, the attack began around midnight on Friday and affected “dozens of government websites, networks, and online services.
“There appear to be intermittent service restorations, but these have not been sustained, and the attack continues,” NetBlocks added.
According to the @MysteriousTeamO account, the attack was carried out in “solidarity” with Senegalese citizens and their right to freely elect their president.
Abdou Karim Fofana, a government spokesman, confirmed the attack, which he described as a distributed denial-of-service attack intended to overwhelm the target with a flood of internet traffic, preventing the system from functioning normally.
The relevant department said its teams were working to get things back to normal “as soon as possible,” according to a statement.
On Saturday evening, access to the presidency’s website and some other offices was restored.
The attack takes place in the midst of a tense political climate in the West African country.
The opposition has condemned what it claims is a growing crackdown by President Macky Sall’s government.
Uncertainty about whether he will run for a controversial third term, as well as opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s rape trial, have heightened tensions in the relatively stable country.
Sonko has refused to appear in court, claiming that the authorities are conspiring to keep him from running for president.
Sonko, who had previously withdrawn to the country’s south during the trial, began a high-risk return to Dakar on Friday, intending to draw supporters along the way with a so-called “caravan of freedom.”
On Friday, local media reported clashes between Sonko’s supporters and security forces surrounding his arrival in Kolda, which is still a long way from Dakar.
Sonko’s party claimed on Saturday that a 37-year-old father was killed in the clashes and blamed the authorities. The man was killed during the clashes, according to AFP.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
