Cybersecurity

Scams, hacks and cybercrime in general are making headlines around the world – and Africa is no exception. But as the continent becomes more connected is cybersecurity keeping up? Three recent announcements may encourage modest optimism.

Viettel Group and Vietnam's Government Cipher Committee revealed on Wednesday they have jointly developed a semiconductor security platform featuring VGC v1.0, a homegrown chipset that integrates a domestic cryptographic algorithm directly into silicon.

Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) said on Wednesday that it has received reports from customers that their WhatsApp accounts have been hacked by fraudsters, and is working with Meta to resolve the issue.

Almost 30 suspected scammers have been arrested and 3.7 million online profiles and accounts removed as part of a multi-agency crackdown – also involving private sector companies – against fraud perpetrated from across Africa.

Cassava Technologies’ Liquid C2 announced on Tuesday it has signed a new reseller partnership agreement with digital workforce security firm KnowBe4 to bring training and risk management solutions to enterprise customers across Africa.

Malaysian operator U Mobile announced on Thursday it has partnered with Telenor Linx to launch SIM-based phone number verification (PNV) on its 5G network.

Security is the theme of two recent stories from Mozambique. One is a UN-supported alliance to extend awareness of potential cybercrime, while the other involves a controversial attempt – now blocked by a court order – to authorise the state to block telecommunications services.

Sri Lanka-based telecom technology and services company Omobio said on Wednesday it has signed an exclusive agreement with Moov Africa Côte d'Ivoire to deploy its international A2P messaging and firewall solutions.

Malaysian broadband operator Time dotCom announced on Friday it has formalised a strategic Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with local cybersecurity services company LGMS to strengthen Malaysia’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced on Thursday it has launched a new initiative to develop frameworks that ensure that the behaviour of AI agents are trustworthy and accountable.

Indian telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) announced on Thursday it has launched silent mobile verification (SMV) capabilities for users of Meta’s WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, which promises to make it simpler and more secure to use them.

Ooredoo Qatar announced on Sunday it has established what it claims is the first quantum-safe communications link in Qatar in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HKBU) and the Ministry of Defense.

The Mayor’s Office of Bogota in Colombia and cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish closer cooperation and enhance the city’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

NEC announced on Tuesday that Ooredoo Algeria has deployed its next-gen firewalls to modernise its internal network security, as well as improve operational efficiency, scalability, and performance.

As cybersecurity threats continue to grow in size and seriousness throughout Africa, a new initiative has been launched in Rwanda that aims to build Africa’s cyber resilience.

Cambodia's government approved a draft law late last week targeting fraudsters running cyberscam operations and promises to shut down such operations completely by April. But previous crackdowns against online scam centres have not eliminated the problem. Will this one?

e& UAE, the flagship telecom arm of global technology company e&, has announced at MWC26 that it has selected BroadForward's Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) to enhance the security of its 5G and international roaming capabilities.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel announced on Sunday it is collaborating with Google to expand Airtel’s AI-powered spam filtering to Google’s Rich Communications Services (RCS) platform.

Bharti Airtel has strengthened its cybersecurity strategy by launching a new AI & Cyber Threat Research Centre in India, in partnership with US-based cloud security firm Zscaler.

Indonesian mobile operator Telkomsel has officially implemented facial recognition as a verification tool for new prepaid SIM registrations, after almost a year and a half of trialling the technology.

Virgin Mobile Kuwait by Connect Arabia WLL says it has partnered with Kidzonet to launch a new SIM solution that promises safer digital access for children than traditional parental controls by screening content at the network level.

Bharti Airtel has unveiled a new cybersecurity feature, Fraud Alert, aimed at protecting customers from password theft and one-time password (OTP)-related banking fraud.

Identy.io, a global biometric authentication technology company specialising in secure, mobile-first identity verification, has announced its expansion plans for Africa.

Corero Network Security, a provider of DDoS protection solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with EdgeUno, a regional connectivity provider in Latin America, to expand automated DDoS protection as a fully managed service throughout the region.

Payment giant Mastercard and the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen trust in the nation’s digital ecosystem.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) said its AI-powered cybersecurity software has detected and blocked more than 2 billion spam and scam attempts across its network, marking a major milestone in its efforts to protect customers.

Niger’s Zamani Telecom has signed a partnership agreement with Hayo covering A2P monetisation and SMS firewall solutions.

Brazilian fintech company Treeal said on Thursday it is partnering with Tencent Cloud to launch the Chinese company’s PalmAI biometric payment solution in Brazil as an alternative method for payment processing.

Hard on the heels of the EU agreement with Kenya reported earlier today on these pages comes more evidence of growing international concern about cybersecurity, with news of a Cambodia-Hong Kong MoU and Ghanaian plans to regulate would-be cybersecurity service providers.