Cyber Incident Victim: Malawi
Date:
Apr 2022
Location:
Malawi
Summary
The Platform for Investigative Journalism experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its website access, following the detention of its managing director and seizure of equipment by Malawi Police. Media advocacy group MISA Malawi implicated state agents in the hack, citing the timing and prior police actions as indicative, while authorities denied involvement, challenging the lack of evidence. The incident raised concerns over media freedom violations and potential breaches of national cybersecurity laws.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On April 14, 2022, the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) website (investigativeplatform-mw.org) became inaccessible following a hacking incident. The attack occurred nine days after Malawi Police Service officers detained PIJ Managing Director Gregory Gondwe on unspecified grounds and confiscated his computer and mobile phone overnight, raising privacy concerns. The website remained partially or fully unavailable for many hours through April 15, though PIJ partially restored access by that date while continuing recovery efforts. Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chairperson Teresa Temweka Ndanga publicly accused state agents of involvement in the cyberattack, citing the temporal proximity to Gondwe’s detention and equipment seizure as indicative of police responsibility. Ndanga characterized the incident as a deliberate attack on media freedom and access to information, invoking Section 21 of Malawi’s Constitution regarding privacy rights and the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act of 2016, which criminalizes hacking with penalties including seven-year prison terms. MISA Malawi demanded state investigations and prosecutions of those responsible, framing the incident as part of a pattern undermining Malawi’s press freedom reputation.
Malawi Police Service Deputy spokesperson Harry Namwaza rejected MISA’s allegations in an April 15 statement, asserting the accusations relied solely on circumstantial connections to Gondwe’s prior interrogation and lacked direct evidence. Namwaza defended the police’s legal authority to summon individuals and confiscate property during investigations while publicly inviting independent organizations with technical capabilities to assist in identifying the hackers. The police statement did not address whether Gondwe’s confiscated devices were examined for potential involvement in the website compromise. PIJ did not disclose technical details about the attack methodology, data impact, or full restoration timeline beyond confirming ongoing recovery work. MISA Malawi concurrently issued appeals to diplomatic missions, legal professionals, and civil society groups to support media freedom protections amid the unresolved incident.