About the African Union Commission and its Leadership
The African Union Commission (AUC) is an executive and administrative body, functioning as the secretariat of the African Union (AU). It plays a crucial role in coordinating AU operations and communicating with foreign partners, much like the European Commission does inside the European Union.
The chairperson of the AUC, Moussa Faki Mahamat, often holds formal meetings with global leaders through a “note verbal.” The AU leadership regularly schedules meetings with representatives of other nations or international organizations using these diplomatic notes.
However, now the routine meetings are unfortunately disrupted due the cybercrime activities revolving around AI. The cybercriminals apparently successfully impersonated Mahamat, conducting meetings under his guise. The imitation, which went so far as to mimic Faki's voice, alarmed leaders in Europe and the AUC.
About the Impersonation Attack
The cybercriminal further copied the email addresses, disguised as AUC’s deputy chief of staff of the AUC in order to set up phone conversations between Faki and foreign leaders. They even went to several European leaders' meetings, using deepfake video editing to pass for Faki.
After realizing the issue, the AUC reported these incidents, confirming that it would communicate with foreign governments through legitimate diplomatic channels, usually through their embassies in Addis Ababa, the home of the AU headquarters.
The AUC has categorized these fraudulent emails as “phishing,” suggesting that the threat actors may have attempted to acquire digital identities for illicit access to critical data.
Digitalization and Cybersecurity Challenges in Africa
While Africa’s digital economy has had a positive impact on its overall economy, with an estimate of USD 180 billion by 2025, the rapid development in digitalization has also contributed to an increase in cyber threats. According to estimates posted on the Investment Monitor website, cybercrime alone might cost the continent up to USD 4 billion annually.
While the AUC have expressed regrets over the event of a deepfake of the identity of Moussa Faki Mahamat, the organization did not provide any further details of the investigation involved or the identity of the criminals. Neither did the AUC mention any future plans to improve their cyber landscape in regard to deepfake attacks.
The incident has further highlighted the significance of more robust cybersecurity measures and careful channel monitoring for government and international organizations.