By Isaac Salima:
The Passport Issuing System at the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services has been hacked, The Daily Times understands.
Our sources indicate that the system was hacked and that the department has been struggling to restore it.
A month ago, it was reported that the Department of Immigration had been experiencing network problems, prompting it to halt the provision of some of its services.
- Advertisement -
The department later issued a statement in which it indicated that it had suspended its operations to pave the way for maintenance works on the system.
- Advertisement -
But it has emerged that the system was hacked some three weeks ago and that the department has been engaging some information technology (IT) experts to restore it.
One of our sources said the department engaged a local IT guru [name withheld] to restore it but with no success.
However, when we contacted the expert, he professed ignorance on the issue.
“I do not know anything. [Yes], I work with several government and private firms on IT issues but I do not know anything on this,” he said.
- Advertisement -
The hacking, according to ICT Association of Malawi president Clarence Gama, means there is unauthorised access to a system.
“It means that someone who has not authorised access to a system has control over that system.
“The danger for an Immigration [Department] of any country to be hacked is that you are likely to have an unauthorised design or production of passports. The hackers can also steal or tamper with some important information and use it to their own advantage,” Gama said.
When asked if it is a big hassle to have the hacked system restored, he said it depends on the type of hacking.
“There are other types of hacking, where they lock you out of the system. Some hackers demand money and you can reclaim it by paying the money while others completely destroy it [the system] and recovering it depends on whether one has a backup system,” he said.
Prior to the hacking, our sources said, the Immigration Department was trying to claim the system from a supplier using “dubious” means.
We have learned that the department’s ICT consultants Techno Brain Limited and Immigration’s ICT section have been working hand-in-hand to manage the system.
“Immigration partnered officials from E-Government to bypass the system so that it [the department] can use it without licence [from service suppliers]. As you know, every system has access rights [and], so, this did not go well [with rights owners], hence system failure,” our source said.
Immigration Department national spokesperson Wellington Chiponde was not immediately available to comment on the issue while the department’s director general Charles Kalumo did not pick up our calls.
E-Government director Paul Katema referred us to government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu, who was not available on his phone.
Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda cancelled a contract that the department had with Techno Brain on the supply of booklets, claiming that it was expensive.
Since then, the Immigration Department has been struggling to source booklets as it is yet to find another supplier.
The department was forced to go back to Techno Brain, which has been supplying the passports.
Monday, Ministry of Justice spokesperson Frank Namangale, whose office works with that of the AG, said that they were aware of network glitches at the department.
“So, on the issue of hacking, if it ever happened, you may wish to cross check with security agencies, including the Department of Immigration itself,” Namangale said.
He, however, dismissed reports that there have been contractual disagreements between the Department of Immigration and Techno Brain.
“But we, as a ministry, would also like to clarify that the suspension of passport issuance had nothing to do with contractual disagreements between the Malawi Government and the supplier. The Attorney General has been on top of this issue. The supplier, Techno Brain, handed over the system to the Department of Immigration, including the source code. Work is ongoing to bring the system back,” he said.
