Analysis of cyber incidents in Senegal from 2005 to 2023

Abstract

This article presents findings from a review of cyber incidents that occurred in Senegal between 2005 and 2023. Twenty-six incidents were identified, and they were analysed in terms of their frequency, incident type, perpetrator type, and victim type. The study found that cyber incidents are increasing in frequency in the country; that the most common incident types are cybercrimes and compromised websites; that the most frequent perpetrators are cybercriminals and hackers; that state/political organisations are slightly more likely than non-state/political entities to be attacked; that the most common incident type experienced by state/political entities is a compromised website; that the most frequent incident type for non-state/political organisations is cybercrime; and that insider attacks are much less common than external attacks, but still occur at a level that is a cause for concern. Based on the findings, the author recommends, inter alia, improved Senegalese government monitoring and reporting of cyber threats, with an emphasis on cooperation between the state’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-Senegal, or SNCSIRT) and the CSIRT-Universitaire established by tertiary institutions in the country.