Zimbabwe Trains Government Officials in Cybersecurity Skills

Zimbabwe has established a cybersecurity training program for its government agencies in an attempt to bolster the nation's cyber defenses. More than 100 government officials reportedly recently graduated from the new national cybersecurity training program that encompasses security trends, standards, governance, and enterprise data security issues.

The effort comes on the heels of several major cyberattack operations affecting Zimbabwe. The nation's cyber woes range from a recent Interpol operation that took down a cybercrime operation with ties to Zimbabe, South Sudan, and other Middle Eastern and African countries, to the 2022 breach of bank accounts for the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund that reportedly resulted in a $120 million heist.

"Zimbabwe is not immune to cyber threats, as evidenced by recent incidents where social media accounts of prominent individuals and entities were hacked," said Tatenda Maveteras, minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, told The Cyber Express. "We also received reports that a leading Zimbabwean bank had its systems compromised, with hackers demanding ransom in exchange for not leaking sensitive operational and customer information."

Like other African nations, Zimbabwe's rapid digitalization and economic growth has made it a prime target for cybercrime.