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Experts: Report of China Hacking African Union HQ Fits Larger Pattern

Salem Solomon

   WASHINGTON - A recent report that Chinese hackers secretly redirected
   surveillance footage from the African Union headquarters so it could be
   viewed abroad is part of a larger pattern by Chinese networks to
   electronically infiltrate key communication channels in Africa, experts
   say.
   "I'm not particularly surprised," Joshua Meservey, senior policy
   analyst on Africa at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA. "We know China
   operates this way all across the world, including in Africa. They
   clearly have a particular interest in the AU headquarters."
   The [1]report in December by the Reuters news agency alleged that prior
   to the 33rd AU Summit last February, a Japanese cybersecurity firm
   alerted AU technicians of the security breach.
   Meservey said the alleged hacking is part of a larger effort. He
   conducted a study that alleges Chinese companies have built at least
   186 government buildings in Africa and 14 "sensitive intragovernmental
   telecommunications networks."
   There have also been recent reports of governments such as Uganda and
   Rwanda targeting dissidents and their supporters by hacking into their
   WhatsApp and Skype accounts with the help of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

References

   1. https://in.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-african-union-cyber-exclusiv/exclusive-suspected-chinese-hackers-stole-camera-footage-from-african-union-memo-idINKBN28Q1DB

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