The US Embassy in Somalia has alerted citizens that a major breach of the Somali electronic visa system may have exposed the personal information of tens of thousands of applicants, including Americans.

Somali authorities reported that "unknown hackers" accessed the e-visa system, potentially compromising data for at least 35,000 individuals. Leaked documents circulating online reportedly contain names, photos, dates of birth, marital status, home addresses and email addresses.

"This data breach is ongoing and could expose any personal information you enter into the system," the United Kingdom’s government also warned travelers.

The US Embassy cautioned that while Somali authorities cannot confirm whether specific individuals’ information was affected, anyone who has applied for a Somali e-visa should consider their personal data at risk.

In response, Somalia has migrated its visa platform from evisa.gov.so to etas.gov.so, though officials have offered no public explanation for the change. Somali authorities have yet to comment directly on the breach.

The incident underscores growing concerns over cybersecurity in government systems across the Horn of Africa, as more services move online amid limited safeguards.