FREETOWN, 9th October 2026 – The Government of Sierra Leone has confirmed a security breach affecting the country’s national internet domain system, the .SL domain, which powers all website addresses ending in “.sl” including government, business and institutional websites.
In a press release issued today by the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Government said the breach occurred on 25th September 2026 when the CoCCA domain management system was accessed without authorisation.
CoCCA – Council of Country Code Administrators – is a global platform used by over 70 small island and developing countries, including Sierra Leone, to manage their country code top-level domains (ccTLDs).
According to the Ministry, 44 Sierra Leonean website addresses were affected, including one government website and several commercial websites. The breach created a risk that visitors could be redirected to fraudulent or cloned websites to steal data or money.
The incident was not unique to Sierra Leone. According to a security report published by Google on 6th October 2026, Sierra Leone was among several countries hit by a wider series of similar attacks, including Ghana (.gh) and American Samoa (.as). Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the CoCCA system to alter domain name records.
The Government has reassured the public that the breach was detected and contained on the same day, with all affected addresses restored to their correct settings within hours.
“Immediate measures were also taken to block any further unauthorised access, remove the security threat and strengthen the protection of the system,” the Ministry stated.
A subsequent security review found no evidence of continuing unauthorised access as of 8th October 2026.
The .SL domain is Sierra Leone’s digital identity online. It is used by critical platforms such as statehouse.gov.sl, http://mof.gov.sl, http://sliepa.gov.sl, universities, banks and private companies. Any tampering with the registry could have exposed citizens to phishing, fake government payment portals, or loss of trust in online services.
The Ministry said while the immediate threat has been contained, investigations remain ongoing to establish how the breach occurred and assess any further potential risks. It said it is working with local and international partners, including CoCCA and cyber security firms, to closely monitor the system and implement additional safeguards.
Citizens who visited .sl websites between 25th September and 26th September and entered sensitive information are advised to be vigilant, change passwords and verify transactions.
The Government says it remains committed to safeguarding the country’s digital infrastructure and will keep the public informed of any significant developments.
