The Malawi government has suspended the operation of its Immigration Service after a cyber attack was launched on the agency’s computer systems.
President Lazarus Chakwera stated that the attack on the government’s department was a “serious breach” of national security.
The agency has not issued passports for the past two weeks due to what it called a “technical glitch”.
He made the disclosure while speaking with Members of Parliament on Wednesday at the National Assembly, marking the first time the cyber-attack was mentioned.
“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 said.
He added that the hackers had asked for a ransom but his government will not succumb to the threats and demands.
The Malawi immigration service has seen a large demand for passports especially among the youth who want to relocate in search of employment.
President Chakwera said he had given the immigration service three weeks to come up with a temporary fix and resume passports issuance.
He said, despite the cyber-attack, the operation of the agency would continue, until the system is regained.
No additional information has been provided concerning the cyber-attack, including any potential consequences for the protection of personal data.
Malawians have been demanding an explanation for the ongoing hold-ups in the travel document’s issuance.
Prior to the cyber-attack, there have been several suspensions of passport issuance in recent years.
After running out of passport documents last year, the government stopped issuing new ones when the issue was made worse by a lack of foreign currency, an official explained.
There have been problems since the attorney general’s office terminated a passport contract with a company that had been providing the service in 2021.