Kabarak University Recovers Hacked Facebook Account: Cybersecurity Threats & Responses.
On Tuesday, May 9th, Kabarak University managed to recover its Facebook page account, which had been hacked by cybercriminals. The institution’s contact personnel confirmed the news.
However, they did not disclose whether the hacker had been traced and if any actions were taken against them. The ICT team leader also declined to comment on the issue.
A spot check revealed that all the posts made by the hacker were taken down, and the first post of the day was an advertisement video indicating that the May intake was ongoing. Additionally, the university changed its profile photo and cover photo to the university’s logo and banner, respectively.
At the time the institution’s Facebook account was hacked, the verified page had 46,000 followers and 36,000 likes. Upon regaining the account, the page’s likes had increased to 47,000, and the number of followers nearly doubled to 72,000. University Vice-Chancellor Prof.
Henry Kiplagat earlier confirmed to the media that the institution had reached out to Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to assist in retrieving the account. He added that the cyber-crime case had been forwarded to the authorities for action to be taken against the hackers.
“We’ve forwarded this case to the concerned authorities, and the action is being undertaken. We do apologize for any inconvenience brought about by the malicious act,” read part of the statement from the VC.
On Sunday, May 7th, the hacker posted a cryptic message on the page, stating that he was just having fun. He also demanded Ksh68,250 (500 dollars) for the university to regain its account.
The hacker claimed to be a student from one of Jakarta’s IT-based high schools in Indonesia and challenged everyone to reclaim the account immediately.
It is unclear whether the hacker was identified or paid the demanded amount, but the university has since regained control of its Facebook account. The incident highlights the need for organizations to improve their cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber threats.
It also demonstrates the importance of reporting such incidents to the authorities for swift action to be taken against the perpetrators. Overall, it is essential for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant against cyber threats and take proactive measures to prevent them
Kabarak University Recovers Hacked Facebook Account: Cybersecurity Threats & Responses.