Kenya Investigates Presidential Website Hack over Bitcoin Ransom Demand

Security

Kenya is investigating a cyberattack that temporarily defaced the president's official website, where attackers demanded a bitcoin ransom and threatened to release data.

Kenya investigates cyberattack targeting presidential website
Attackers demanded five bitcoins as ransom
Government says no sensitive data was compromised
Website restored after forensic and recovery efforts
Authorities continue investigating those behind the attack

Kenyan authorities have launched an investigation into a cyberattack that temporarily defaced President William Ruto's official website with an anti-government message and a ransom demand for five bitcoins, valued at approximately $330,000.

The defacement took place over the weekend when the official homepage of President William Ruto was hijacked to post the message containing the cryptocurrency wallet address and a threat to reveal confidential information regarding the president unless the demanded amount was paid. By Monday, the site had been restored after recovery efforts by Kenyan cybersecurity experts from the government.

William Kabogo, Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary, stated that once the hack was discovered, the authorities promptly blocked access to the website to conduct their investigation and restore operations. According to the government, no breach of confidentiality has been established so far.

The hack of the Kenya Presidential website has raised new fears regarding the security of government digital systems. According to the screenshots posted on social media, the attackers said the breach was their “third warning” to the President before going ahead to threaten to leak sensitive information. However, there has been no confirmation about this claim by any official, and no such information has been leaked either.

This comes after previous cyberattacks against the Kenyan government's digital systems. In November 2025, various Kenyan government websites were affected by a coordinated cyberattack where several government websites were defaced with extremist propaganda.

Cybersecurity experts note that attacks involving bitcoin ransom demand cyberattack tactics have become increasingly common worldwide as threat actors target high-profile institutions to pressure governments into making cryptocurrency payments. Business Honor observes that the Kenya presidential website cyberattack underscores the need for stronger cybersecurity, continuous monitoring and rapid response to protect critical government systems from ransomware threats.