Citizen TV lost its YouTube account to hackers on Monday, March 28 for a few minutes.
A group running a digital currency known as Cryptocurrency took over the Channel with over three million subscribers and renamed it as Ethereum (US).
The hackers went live and began streaming a discussion about digital currency leaving most Citizen TV online viewers in shock.
The hackers further owned some of the content uploaded on the Citizen TV YouTube channel for a few minutes.
However, Citizen TV managed to regain control of its channel, recovering all its content on the page.
By the time of publication, Citizen TV and Ethereum had not issued a statement regarding the incident.
Hackers tend to infiltrate digital devices such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even network servers. In Kenya, even government agencies have fallen victims to individuals who gain unauthorised access to online platforms.
On November 23, 2021, a Facebook account of the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) led by Noordin Haji was attacked by cybercriminals.
"We wish to inform the members of the public that our Facebook page has been temporarily hacked and we are working towards resolving the issue," ODPP informed the public.
They regained control of the page after a few days.
In Kenya, hacking is one of the cybercrimes listed in the constitution which is punishable by law with a fine not exceeding Ksh5 million or imprisonment of not less than three years.
The office of the data commissioner is tasked with the enforcement of the Data Protection Act, establishing and maintaining a register of data controllers and data processors.
