The African Union is working to strengthen its security systems after hackers impersonating AU chairman, Moussa Faki, scheduled fake meetings with foreign leaders.
The hackers targeted several foreign capitals and even went ahead to request phone calls with the foreign leaders. Through phishing, the attackers manipulated e-mails purporting to be from the Deputy Chief of Staff on behalf of Faki. Generally, the AU Head normally writes to foreign leaders whenever he wants to schedule a phone call with them.
The incident which happened on October 12 has opened a loophole on how artificial intelligence can be used to hack systems. The hackers impersonating AU chairman use AI to develop someone’s image, voice, and traits into a video. They can portray someone to say what they have not said.
In a statement issued by the AU, the union said it regrets the incidences. The hackers went ahead and actually held meetings with some European leaders who fell victim to the hacking. According to the East African, during the meetings, they used deep-fake technology to impersonate the AU head.
How the AU communicates with foreign countries
African Union leaders meet during th 5th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in July, 2023/Courtesy African Union
The Union always engages several partners and communicates with them frequently. They include foreign countries and other foreign partners. It is important for you to understand how the communication takes place to avoid falling into a scam.
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The African Union uses an official address which is the legitimate AU email address. According to the union, the address starts with [email protected]. It is the only valid email address that they use. Communications with the head of the commission on the other hand is done through the systematic normal diplomatic channels.