86/69 Thursday, February 12, 2026
The Government of Senegal has confirmed a cyberattack affecting the Directorate of File Automation (DAF), the government agency responsible for issuing national identity cards, passports, and managing the country’s biometric data systems. Following reports of a ransomware attack, authorities ordered the temporary closure of the agency to contain the situation and minimize further risk. Citizens-numbering approximately 19.5 million-were informed that services would be suspended while impact assessments and system recovery efforts are underway. However, officials stated that the integrity and accuracy of citizens’ data have not been compromised.
A ransomware group calling itself Green Blood Group has claimed responsibility for the breach, alleging that it exfiltrated approximately 139 gigabytes of data. The stolen data reportedly includes citizen information, biometric records, and immigration-related documents. The attackers published lists of documents and backup files as proof of access. Additionally, emails belonging to executives from IRIS Corporation, a Malaysian technology firm involved in developing Senegal’s digital national ID system, were reportedly exposed. According to the claims, hackers breached two DAF servers on January 19 and extracted data related to the ID card issuance process.
After discovering the incident, IRIS Corporation disconnected one affected server from the network, changed passwords on another, and suspended connections from overseas missions. The company also coordinated with cybersecurity experts to investigate and remediate the issue. The attack occurred amid an ongoing business dispute between the Government of Senegal and IRIS Corporation regarding contract payments, raising speculation about a possible connection between the dispute and the cyberattack-though no official confirmation has been made. Authorities have not yet disclosed technical details or the full scope of the potentially affected data.
