In late 2019 and early 2020, ahead of the presidential elections in Togo, the Donot Team hacking group attempted to spy on a prominent Togolese human rights defender, but only managed to raise the victim’s suspicion.

Active since at least 2012 and also tracked as APT-C-35, and SectorE02, Donot Team is mainly known for its focus on targets in India, Pakistan, China, and other Asian countries. For the past couple of years, however, it has shifted focus to additional geographies, including Argentina, UAE, and the UK.

While this is the first reported Donot Team attack against an individual in West Africa, it is not the first cyberattack against activists in Togo, who have long been the target of shadowy cyber-mercenaries.