The Communication Authority (CA) on Monday revealed that at least 19 organizations in Kenya had been affected by a global ransomware virus dubbed 'WannaCry.'
Without naming the affected entities, CA stated that the number of companies affected by the virus had increased from the five firms reported on May 13.
"The authority will continue working with stakeholders to mitigate the effects of such instances while encouraging parties to put in place preventive mechanisms," CA Director General Francis Wangusi highlighted.
This comes after cyber criminals hacked into more than 200,000 personal computers in over 150 countries across the world using a ransomware virus.
The malware is designed to encrypt files in the computer or smart device such that the user cannot access them until a ransom amount quoted on a pop-up screen is paid to the hackers.
Information, Communication, and Technology Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru stated that Kenyan banks were among the targeted organizations.
Mr Mucheru cautioned that every citizen ought to put up measures to secure their own devices from the cyber attacks.
"Avoid clicking on unsolicited strange and suspicious links or opening attachments and emails from unfamiliar sources. Organizations in financial services sector are particularly vulnerable, as they significantly rely on financial technology to link to each other, financial markets and to other sectors of the economy," he outlined.
