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Malawi suspends issuance of passports following cybercrime attacks
The Malawian government has suspended the issuance of passports following a cyber-attack on the immigration service’s computer network.
This was revealed by President Lazarus Chakwera who informed members of Parliament that the attack was a breach of national security and hackers were demanding a ransom.
The Head of State however emphasized that the government is in no position to compromise and negotiate with the cyber criminals nor put the security of the country at risk.
“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,” President Chakwera was quoted by the Lusaka Times.
According to him, the immigration department has been ordered to provide a temporary solution within three weeks to resume passport issuance pending other long-term measures to address the issue and restore control over the immigration system.
The incident comes at a time when there is a high demand for travel documents in Malawi, particularly among the youth who want to travel abroad.
Meanwhile, Malawians are already grappling with backlog issues and previous disruptions in passport services. Last year, there was the situation of shortage of passport booklets and foreign currency shortages.
Before this, there was a termination of a passport contract in 2021 due to irregularities, further exacerbating delays, and prompting criticism of government inefficiency and corruption allegations.
