By King News
King News 24th Sept Juba – Nelson Kwaje, founder of Defyhate, SafetyComm, and 211Check, has emphasized the urgent need for individuals, agencies, and private firms to actively safeguard their social media accounts in light of an increasing wave of cyber threats.
Speaking during the release of a new report on Tuesday, conducted by SafetyComm, 211Check, and Defyhate, Kwaje highlighted the findings of a four-year survey (from 2021), which revealed a concerning rise in social media account compromises across South Sudan.
“Given that, SafetyComm has documented 854 incidents of compromised social media accounts users to these fraudulent cyber threats and scam activities in the South Sudan digital environment or space,” Kwaje said
“From 2021 to 2024. Out of this, 460 accounts were recovered after the victims sought the support of SafetyComm,”
A total of 327 accounts remain unrecovered, as victims either completely lost access to their credentials or were unwilling to cooperate with the response team. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts noted that 67 cases had been addressed but were still pending recovery.
Experts have identified the most prevalent cyber threats and scams conducted by anonymous online actors. These attacks often target unsuspecting users through sophisticated schemes.
Phishing attacks, disguised as legitimate communications, and malware embedded in links or file attachments, have been the primary methods of infection. Once clicked or downloaded, these threats compromise users’ devices and data.
Among the social media platforms, Facebook accounts for 57.3% of cyber threat incidents, followed by WhatsApp at 22.8% and Instagram at 18.9%. Telegram registered 0.9% of cases, while none were recorded on X (formerly Twitter).
“Today’s joint advisory on cyber threats and scams serves to alert the general public and social media users in South Sudan about ongoing inauthentic false alarms regarding Facebook page verification, community standards violations, and copyright infringement with threats to shut down users’ accounts,” Kwaje noted
He noted that some people received messages in their inboxes or emails from Meta support team impersonators, informing victims about acceptance to start verification and violating community standards with phishing links.
Mr. Kwaje explained that the hackers would send a message urging you to act within 24 hours, or the user account would lose the opportunity to verify their Facebook page, profiles, and accounts.
“As such, it is the exact tactics used by the anonymous actors to exploit social media users to compromise their accounts,” said Nelson
Cybersecurity experts urge the public to exercise caution and refrain from clicking on links received via email or direct messages on social media before verifying their authenticity. This is a crucial step in preventing cyberattacks.
Once an account is hacked, it often results in identity theft, where personal information is stolen and misused. In some cases, private content such as nude videos or photos may be released publicly without the user’s consent, further compromising privacy.
With the Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Bill currently in parliament, Nelson Kwaje emphasized the need to empower law enforcement agencies to effectively combat cyber fraud and exploitation in South Sudan’s digital landscape.
In recent years, the increasing use of social media in South Sudan has been driven by the expansion of internet and mobile telecommunications. While these platforms enhance communication and information sharing, they also expose users to significant cyber threats and scams.