Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed its X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts were hacked Sunday evening.
Fraudulent posts, including invitations for users to share addresses for “tokens” based on likes and retweets, promotions for a blockchain project, and instructions on purchasing the associated token, were published by the hackers.
The DCI clarified that these posts were “FAKE and not from the DCI.”
The DCI (@DCI_Kenya) posted: “SECURITY ALERT! For some moment this evening, we experienced a cyber-attack on the DCI digital platforms (X and Facebook), but have since regained full control. During the short period, the cyber criminals who attempted to take over the accounts posted the information captured on the screenshot below. Note: The information is therefore FAKE and not from the DCI. A scrupulous interrogation into the criminal activity has been activated to bring to book the perpetrators.”
As of 19:34 on Sunday, the fraudulent posts appeared to have been deleted, indicating the DCI had regained control of the accounts.
This incident highlights the increasing prevalence of crypto scams on X, particularly since Elon Musk’s takeover in 2022.
Mass layoffs and cost-cutting measures impacting content moderation and platform security have created an environment exploited by scammers.
The DCI hack demonstrates that even official government accounts are vulnerable to these breaches.
